SINGAPORE — A common responsibility felt for one another. Stakeholders and protectors of the country. Citizens who grew up in, and with, Singapore.

The meaning of a “Singaporean core” was a central theme on the first day of debate on the Population White Paper in Parliament yesterday, with several members, including Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, giving their take on the concept.

Cited as one of the three key pillars of the White Paper — alongside the creation of good opportunities for Singaporeans and a quality living environment — it has been an evocative topic in the past week as the proportion of citizens projected for Singapore by 2030 would decrease to about 55 per cent of the total population, from about 62 per cent today.

The White Paper projects a total population of up to 6.9 million by 2030, with 3.6 to 3.8 million of them citizens.

Mr Teo was the first to tackle the notion of being Singaporean in his opening speech seeking Parliament’s endorsement of the White Paper.

He said Singaporeans consisted of their forefathers who settled in Singapore from around the archipelago and further afield, who “worked together for their future, and in the process evolved a set of shared values that allowed us to unite and achieve peace and progress together”.

But in a globalised world with more Singaporeans living overseas and more foreigners on our shores, being Singaporean means having a common responsibility towards one another because of “common hopes and dreams”, he said.

“We defend Singapore and Singaporeans, because we are the stakeholders of our country — and our families, our homes and our futures are here,” said Mr Teo. “No foreigner can feel the same way. We may help to ensure the safety of foreigners who are here in time of conflict, but we are not defending their families or futures. We are defending ours. That will never change.”

And the goal is for citizens of Singapore in 2030 to have opportunities, amenities and access to family support services, he said.

But the Government’s vision of a Singaporean core was criticised by the Workers’ Party (WP), which rejected the White Paper.

WP Chairman and Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Lim said that, under the proposed road map, Singaporeans who grew up here would fall below 50 per cent of the population, “which would change the character of Singapore forever” and dilute the national identity.

“A strong Singaporean core should be made up of Singaporeans who grew up in and with Singapore,” said Ms Lim.

“Instant citizens can be Singaporean in name and have all citizenship rights. But for the Singaporean core to be strong, the core must be strongly Singaporean in values, world view, culture, sense of place and history and network of family and friends.” These can be cultivated only through time and institutional settings like schools and National Service, she added.

Adding that the White Paper proposes a gross domestic product target and raising the population to achieve it, Ms Lim argued that the Government has gotten its priorities the wrong way round. The WP’s approach: Lowering the GDP growth proposed by 0.5 to 1 percentage point. It estimates a population of 5.9 million by 2030, and Ms Lim said this would mean less overcrowding, better integration of newcomers and less stressful labour market competition, which would likely have a knock-on effect on fertility rates.

The proportion of Malay-Muslims going forward was also an area of concern for two MPs. Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Intan Azura Mokhtar suggested that the Government release more data on new citizens and Permanent Residents who are Malay or Muslim, as well as information on initiatives to attract more quality new citizens from Malaysia and Indonesia, given the need to augment the population.

“How Malays see their place in Singapore will also be affected if they become the smallest of minorities here,” she said in Malay.

WP MP Mohamad Faisal Abdul Manap questioned the planned rate of Malay immigrants to be let in and sought assurances for the local Malay-Muslim community.

The eight MPs who spoke yesterday also suggested ways to strengthen the Singaporean core. West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har, for instance, suggested tweaking the Employment Pass system to ensure Singaporean professionals are considered first for the best jobs available.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza proposed allowing foreigners to buy select new developments and, thereafter, being allowed to sell only to Singaporeans. This way, a large foreign resident population will not be able to hijack control of property prices, he said.

Even though he supported the motion to endorse the White Paper, West Coast GRC MP Arthur Fong expressed discomfort at the pace of discussion.

He noted the “little buy-in” the road map has had. “The rationale and the genesis of the possible 6.9 million population needs to be explained further as this ... has generated much anxiety and angst,” he said. The Parliamentary debate continues today.