The national registration for pink and blue Singapore identity cards began on 9 May 1966 with pink cards for citizens and blue ones for non-citizens who are permanent residents (PRs). [1] The exercise was governed by the National Registration Act of 1965 that took effect on 5 May 1966, requiring all Singaporeans above 12 years of age and those with existing identity cards issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance 1955 to re-register. [2] Although the National Registration Act legislated two types of ICs to differentiate between citizens and non-citizens, it did not stipulate that pink was for citizens and blue for PRs. [3] This colour differentiation was only legislated when the National Registration (Amendment) Regulations 1969 came into operation on 28 March 1969. [4]
The new identity cards replaced earlier identification papers that were issued during the British colonial period. Identification papers were introduced in 1938 when registration of births and deaths became compulsory under the 1937 Registration of Births and Deaths Ordinance. [5] However, it was the 1948 Emergency Regulations (Registration) legislation that made it compulsory for all persons above 12 years old in the colony to be registered and issued with identity cards as a deterrent against communist infiltration. [6] The emergency registration was held between October and December 1948. [7] The Emergency (Registration) Regulations Ordinance 1948 was later repealed by the Registration of Persons Ordinance 1955. [8] In December 1965, then Minister for Labour Jek Yeun Thong proposed the National Registration Bill to replace the 1955 ordinance and this bill eventually became the National Registration Act of 1965. [9]