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| Want German Citizenship? Pass this Test |
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| News - NIDO News | |||
| Written by Juliana Taiwo, This Day | |||
| Monday, 29 September 2008 19:16 | |||
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Palpable fear has continued to grip emigrants living in Germany since September 1, when the government commenced the citizenship test aimed at testing applicant’s knowledge of the country’s history, politics, language and society. Most of the migrants who spoke to Thislife were opposed the test. Some of them who did not want their names mentioned or their photographs taken for fear of reprisal, accused the German government of hiding under test to get rid of foreigners on their soil. The statistics also revealed that a total number of first time asylum applicants in 2007 were 19,164. Iraq had the highest number of 4,327, followed by Serbia with 1,996, Turkey 1,437, Vietnam 987, Russia Federation 772, Syria 634, Iran 631, Lebanon 592, Nigeria 503; India 413 and 6,872 came from other nationalities not identified. “This is surely a trap to get rid of foreigners especially those who are yet to legalise their stay here,” Florence, a Ghanaian who has been in German for just a year alleged with a bitterly. The Federal Minister of the Interior, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, stressed that “in an ideal process of integration, after several years of legal residence, it is possible to become a naturalised citizen. But for integration to be successful, we must manage migration sensibly, because the ability of our society to accommodate integration is closely related to the scale of immigration”. The test which commenced this month, stipulates that people applying to become German nationals will have to answer at least 17 out of 33 questions correctly. To pass the sample test, one needs to get at least four out of the seven questions right. According to findings, the test was developed for the Interior Ministry by academics at Berlin’s Humboldt University. They came up with 1,000 questions, which after being tested on 5,000 people were reduced to around 300. Seven sample multiple-choice questions were presented to the media recently with the rest of the questions due to be presented within the next few weeks. The sample questions include such teasers as: What's the job of the opposition in the German parliament? When was the Federal Republic of Germany founded? Why did former Chancellor Willy Brandt kneel down in the former Warsaw Ghetto in 1970? Who is required to serve in the military in Germany? Which other country has a large German-speaking population? German nationals are divided on the issue, with majority voicing displeasure over the test, whilst others are of the opinion that if one must become a German citizen, then the person must respect German laws, values and adapt to a country that provides safety and a future. The News Editor for tagessau.de, Sabine Klein in an intervie w with Thislife, described the rules as hardened. “The new emigration laws have been hardened. Now the government is trying to implement a test for emigration. Everybody that wants to become a German citizen has to do the test. The questions are a lot and people have to answer these questions. It concerns everything about Germany, how the state is organised, language problem, everything. “And this test is really hard. We copied the questions from the ministry and asked our users to do the test and it was very obvious that a lot of Germans couldn’t achieve to be Germans. I mean they were Germans but if they had done the test they wouldn’t have obtained the German citizenship because they weren’t successful in answering the questions. “We have report on cases where people had to go back to their original country because the German government thinks they don’t fulfill the conditions. Maybe they are from the so called ‘safe country’ and these persons do not feel safe and is dangerous for him or her to go back. Nevertheless, if the said country is considered to be a safe country because, in Germany we have a list of safe and unsafe countries, so if you come from a ‘safe country’ you have to go back. So we did a story on why people have to be sent back even when their personal safety in that country is not guaranteed. “There are some that have had to go back, but there are others who seek legal means to protect them from being sent back to their so called ‘safe country’. So it is always a matter of who wins in the end. So we report on this issue because during elections the emigration issue is usually an important issue. Some few years ago, one of the top contenders in the election in one of the regions made emigration one of his main issues during his campaign and he won because he was very strict on emigration. “The test is highly debated. My personal opinion is that this test is not necessary because it is too hard for people to do. But on the other hand, the idea behind the test is not so false. The authorities say, if people want to stay here and we must take them, they also demand that they try to adapt to Germany, try to learn the language, understand our political system, respect the way we live and respect our values. This for me is very crucial because I have been abroad also and I know in a bad situation that I have to leave my country whether for safety or economic reasons I would really try to adapt to my home country because it’s the country that gives me safety and future. “But I think it is a duty of the home country to welcome emigrants and to give them a real chance. The country has to also consider the hard situation which made them come to Germany. On the other hand, it is also the duty of the emigrant to respect our country, respect our values and our culture and adapt to the country but finally I think the test result is not a very good one”, she said. Also speaking on the issue, Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Abdul Bin Rimdap, does not see anything wrong with the test. “It is to ensure that someone who comes in here as a citizen learn the German language. If you want to get anything done in this country you must learn the language or else what are you going to do? You can’t do a good job, go to a good school or own a business if you can’t speak the language. I think is an effort to integrate emigrants into their society. “If you want to go to an English school it is very expensive here, but if you want to go to German language school is free, the university is free. So why not sit down and learn the language because once you graduate here you get a job or establish one yourself. Germany is for people with practical experience not theory. The test is just to promote their culture. For instance, Australia developed their country today purely based on their culture. We will not abandon our culture, religion and way of life and this is what the German government is doing,” the ambassador emphasised. Dr. Peter Agwi, the President of Nigerians Living in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), considers the test harsh and thereby restricting the number of people that will apply for the German citizenship. “Though it will be better for emigrants to try and integrate, but the extent to which the Germans try to harden their laws is not too good. We feel there should be a way to lessen these conditions for German citizenship. I think the appropriate way should’ve been for them to send emigrants on a 40 to 60 hours course like it’s done in America at the end of which they will be given exam. “The thing is those who cannot really speak Deutch will not be able to answer these questions because for you to answer these 320 test questions, you must understand Deutch—written and oral. Unfortunately, most emigrants do not have the capability to understand Deutch to that extent. Therefore, most people will be left out of this process of citizenship. “But those of us in NIDO (Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation) like other emigrant organisations or communities have already taken the matter up with the appropriate authorities to loosen up this process and make it lighter for people to take up citizenship,” he said. Another Nigeria, Isaac Izoye, a film producer and actor and also a representative of Nollywood in Germany said: “I will not say the test is not favourable because living in a culture that you know nothing about and yet you want to settle down here is not ideal. You cannot know a culture if you cannot speak their language perfectly and you cannot also hold the German passport if you cannot speak the language. So the introduction of this test to me is not a bad idea because once you are a citizen of a country, you should be able to defend it, talk about the country and you can do this if you can speak at least 40 per cent of German. Another Nigerian, Andy Ugbogbo who has been in Berlin for 19 years also does not see anything wrong in the test. The citizenship process is very simple, you go to the authorities concerned and tell them why you want to become a citizen or why you need a permanent residence. Mrs. Patience Johnson, a specialist for micro pigmentation and aesthetic plastic surgery said: “I have no idea about German immigration law and I cannot say much about that whether it favours Nigerians or not. Germany wants to recognise anybody who is here, especially those who contribute to the economy. There are lot of unemployed people here and they are the ones behind all sorts of crimes so to my mind, the German government is only trying to protect its people, culture and economy. “I remember applying for a Nigeria residence permit and I was told unless I am married to a Nigerian I cannot get it. So I respected that and that is exactly what the Germans are trying to do. So we should not misinterpret them,” she added. Paddy Okakpu a hotel professional (Hotelfachmann), has been here for 14 years and schooled here as well. He also does not see anything wrong with the test. “The Germans are proud of their culture and language. They do everything using their language, so how are you going to integrate into the system without the language? I think rather than complain, emigrants should get prepared for the test because if it is part of the law, there is nothing they can do about it”.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 16 February 2010 12:48 ) |
