ST : PR numbers almost double in 10 years

Sep 1, 2010

PR numbers almost double in 10 years

Indians see twofold rise; Most ethnic Chinese PRs are from Malaysia

By Elgin Toh

THE number of Singapore permanent residents has almost doubled in the last 10 years, from 287,500 in 2000 to 541,000 this year.

Most of the increase is accounted for by immigrants from Malaysia and the Indian subcontinent, according to census data released by the Department of Statistics yesterday.

The share of Indians in the PR ethnic mix climbed from 14.9 per cent in 2000 to 20.4 per cent this year.

In absolute numbers, they more than doubled, from 42,700 to 111,000.

The share of Chinese in the PR ethnic mix dropped from 76.1 per cent to 61.4 per cent, although the total number increased from 218,800 to 332,000.

For PRs of Malay ethnicity, the share dropped from 4.1 per cent to 3 per cent, although actual numbers went up from 11,800 to 16,000.

Most of the ethnic Chinese PRs in Singapore hail from Malaysia.

Over the 10-year period, the number of Malaysia-born Chinese in Singapore - permanent residents and Singapore citizens combined - went up by 81,000, while that of China-born Chinese went up by just 13,000.

Analysts noted that the new data may help correct a misperception on the ground.

Said political observer Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University: 'This whole idea that we are being overwhelmed by mainland Chinese has no basis. The numbers should tell us that many from China are here only as foreign workers and, as the Prime Minister has said, we have to distinguish them from new immigrants.'

As for the large number of Malaysia-born Chinese PRs, Mr Tan said this could be due to the fact that many Chinese in Malaysia are 'dissatisfied with the state of affairs there', and see Singapore as a more ideal place to live.

Commenting on the surge in PRs from India, Dr Terence Chong of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies suggested that this could have something to do with the fact that Singapore has 'more openings in professions that see higher Indian convergence, perhaps due to language competencies or specific industry training.'

The IT industry is one which attracts a large number of Indians.

On the whole, experts agreed that the increase in the number of PRs was significant and had implications for social cohesion.

It shows that 'the complexion of Singapore society is changing fairly rapidly', said Mr Tan.

'We were already seeing it in schools, in the public transport system, and in the housing market. The figures confirm it.'

Dr Chong was not optimistic about the implications for social harmony, since those qualifying as PRs, he argued, have a higher income and education level than working-class Singaporeans.

He said: 'All this will invariably lead to higher rates of misunderstanding, resentment and suspicion in the years to come. They (citizens and PRs) will have to find ways of bridging the gulf between them.'

elgintoh@sph.com.sg