宗族
The language divide between the Chinese-speaking general population of the Chinese clan associations and the English-speaking younger generation also acts as an obstacle to getting youth to be engaged in activities. In a report by the Straits Time on 13 February 1998, it cited that many people gave the Chinese cultural festival's events a cold shoulder due to their inability to understand or speak Mandarin. The decrease in importance of the Chinese language can be attributed how youths often view Chinese as inferior. According to Professor Chew Cheng Hai, a consultant to Nanyang Technological University's Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, "Singaporean society views Mandarin as the language of those who are not successful."