Immigration often implies the adaptation processes of both the immigrant and the host community. Singapore has a history of immigration. Prior to independence in 1965, Singapore has had consistent inflows of immigrant settlers and she continues to receive immigrants through the years. Many have decided to set up home permanently only after having study and work in Singapore for a while. Singapore recognise that for one to settle down in a new country is a major and emotional decision and would need considerable supports and encouragement from the host government and society for immigrants to sink roots there. Singapore can work on her state integration policies to ease the anxiety and problem faced by the immigrants.
Singapore’s state integration policies may be explained using the four ideology clusters; Pluralism, Civic, Assimilation and Ethnist Ideologies (Breton et al, 1988). It is heartening to the immigrants that Singapore is largely a plural society regardless of race, language or religion as embodied in her National Pledge. This allows the immigrant the freedom of linguistic and cultural activities, religious expression, and political association within the confines of Singapore’s criminal and civil laws. Singapore is a multi-racial society. Different races live in harmony with each other. It is quite an amazing spectacle for immigrants to see the public display of different religious celebrations in Singapore streets. Unlike the civic ideology that advocate non-interference in private values of its individual citizens, Singapore respect and promote the rights of individual in maintaining their group distinctiveness through cultural, linguistic, ethnic, or religious affiliation. The government even sponsors different ethnical support groups such Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA,) Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) and Eurasian Association (EA) to encourage the individual group’s development and progress. Singapore also encourages the establishment of foreigner’s associations such as Kowloon Club, American Association Singapore, Singapore Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Association etc. These associations enable the immigrants to maintain their cultural and linguistic distinctiveness and will add value to Singapore, aspiring to be a cosmopolitan city. From the assimilation ideology perspective, Singapore does not require immigrants to embrace her culture and values and to abandon their own cultural and linguistic distinctiveness for the sake of settling down in Singapore. However through the way of life in Singapore, the education school system, housing system and national service for permanent residence and citizens, it is inevitable that the linguistic and cultural assimilation will occur voluntarily and gradually across the generations. Singapore does not embrace the Ethnist ideology, requiring immigrant to reject their ethno-cultural identity for the sake of adopting the values and culture of the Singaporeans. Through Singapore state integration policies, it is evident to the immigrants that Singapore embraces an open society that look promising to foreigners; be it students, tourists or professionals, Singapore appears appealing to serious immigrants as her historical background as an immigrant nation do not require the maintenance of a core majority language and culture needed to justify the continued existence of the nation as an unified country (Bibby, 1990).
