NDR 2026: Singapore can make more room for dialects while promoting Mandarin, says PM Wong
Free-to-air broadcasts will continue to mostly use Mandarin, but paid television and cinemas will see fewer curbs on dialect content.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, during his Mandarin National Day Rally speech on Aug 23, highlighted that while Mandarin remains the primary language promoted by the government, there is room for dialects in paid television and cinemas. Currently, a cap exists on the number of dialect film screenings, but this rule will be relaxed, allowing dialect screenings without a Mandarin-dubbed version.
The government will also remove existing restrictions on dialect content for subscription TV services, including a rule limiting dialect arthouse films to one per week and capping the proportion of dialect songs on music channels. These changes are set to take effect in September. Wong emphasized that while Singapore advances the use of Mandarin, it must also protect the "hard-won gains" of the Speak Mandarin Campaign, which was launched in 1979 to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to speak standard Mandarin.
He noted that today, most Chinese Singaporeans know Mandarin but often use English more frequently, and the challenge is to encourage them to speak more Mandarin. Wong also announced the establishment of a Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallery in the Singapore Conference Hall in Shenton Way, which will open in 2031.
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