Quora Answer: Why are Some of Singapore’s Parliamentary Debates in Mandarin?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why are some parliamentary sessions, in Singapore, in Mandarin?”

Constitutionally, Singapore has one national language – Malay.  This is to recognise the Malays as the native people of the land, and their position is enshrined under Article 152.  The official languages, corresponding to the three major ethnic groups, the South Indians, the Chinese, and the Eurasians, are Tamil, Mandarin, and English.  English is also the predominant language of government, and the official working language.

As such, debates during parliamentary sessions may be conducted in any of the four recognised languages of government: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.  However, it is rare for sessions in parliament to be in other than English.