Tamil Singaporeans, what thoughts should come to mind, when you see someone like Kalaimagal and her
desire to be inclusive with others like us from a totally different culture.
The question for you is whether it should be to the exclusion of mother tongues of fellow Indian
Singaporeans who are other than Tamils. Should we deny them the space to learn and use their mothertongue and enrich their heritage as well? Should we also learn from the inclusiveness which Kalaimagal
projects and be the champions of not only Tamil and Tamilness but also that of other Indian languages and
their respective heritages.
My appeal to you is liable to be controversial among those who hold strong views about Tamil and
want to preserve the exclusiveness of Tamil for all Indian Singaporeans. This is a question, you need to
ponder on, whether such exclusiveness will be in your best long term interest in our multi-racial, multireligious Society that is increasingly cosmopolitan and where such advocacy of exclusives will only work
against our effort to promote Unity through inclusiveness among us.
As for any concerns you may have about the future of Tamil as one of our four official languages,
Government has assured us that it will be preserved as one of our four Official languages and that it will
grow and thrive. But, much will depend on the extent to which it is used and the pride with which you use
it and whether you take pride in the use of the language. This, we can do by celebrating the language and
enriching it through use and not by keeping out other Indian mother-tongues
As for the future of Tamil as one of our four official languages, you have no reason to be concerned
because Government has stated clearly that Tamil will always remain as one of our official languages.
This is further reflected in Government’s policy of sustained recruitment and training of TL Teachers and
deployment to the majority of our schools, except where the numbers of TL pupils are very small at all
levels.
On that note, I wish the Conference every success in your deliberations. I hope you will take an
enlightened and inclusive approach to the preservation and use of Tamil in Singapore.
S R Nathan
Former President of the Republic of Singapore
5 June 2014
சிங்கப்பூர்த் தேசிய பல்கலைக்கழகத் தமிழ்ப் பேரவை
35ம் செயற்குழு
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