People’s Association Act - Singapore Statutes Online

PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION ACT

(CHAPTER 227)

(Original Enactment: Ordinance 35 of 1960)

REVISED EDITION 1985

(30th March 1987)

An Act to incorporate the People’s Association for promoting community recreation in Singapore and for matters incidental thereto.

[1st July 1960]

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the People’s Association Act.

Establishment and incorporation of People’s Association

2.—(1) There is hereby constituted a corporation to be known as the People’s Association (referred to in this Act as the Association).

(2) The Association shall have perpetual succession and a common seal, and may sue and be sued in its corporate name and perform such other acts as bodies corporate may by law perform.

Vesting of Centre’s assets and property in Association

3.—(1) Upon the commencement of this Act —

(a)	the Singapore Youth Sports Centre (referred to in this Act as the Centre) shall cease to exist as a corporation;
(b)	the Association shall take over all the functions of the Centre;
(c)	all the assets and movable and immovable property of every description and all the powers, rights and privileges in connection therewith or appertaining thereto which immediately before the commencement of this Act were vested in the Centre shall be vested in the Association freed and discharged from any trust whatsoever, but subject nevertheless to the provisions of this Act; and
(d)	all the liabilities and obligations of the Centre which may have existed immediately before the commencement of this Act shall be transferred to and vest in the Association.

(2) Any existing trustees of the Centre at the date of commencement of this Act shall be released and discharged from any duties or responsibilities under any trust which may have existed immediately before that date.

Powers of Association to be vested in a Board of Management

4. The powers of the Association and the management and control of the Association and of its property and affairs shall be vested in a Board of Management (referred to in this Act as the Board).

Constitution of Association

5.—(1) The Association shall consist of —

(a)	the Prime Minister as Chairman;
(b)	a Minister to be appointed by the Chairman, as Deputy Chairman;
(c)	eight members to be appointed by the Chairman; and
(d)	one member to be appointed by the Chairman in consultation with each of the organisations mentioned in the Schedule.

(2) There shall be a Secretary-Treasurer, who shall be a person appointed by the Chairman from among the members appointed under subsection (1)(c).

(3) The President may, from time to time, by notification in the Gazette —

(a)	vary the number of its members and provide in what manner additional members, if any, shall be appointed; and
(b)	add to or amend the First Schedule.

Constitution of Board

6.—(1) The Board shall consist of—

(a)	the persons mentioned in section 5(1)(a) to (c); and
(b)	four members to be elected from among themselves by the persons mentioned in section 5(1)(d) at every annual general meeting of the Association.

(2) The Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board.

Letters of appointment

7.—(1) All letters of appointment to the persons mentioned in section 5(1)(b), (c) and (d) shall issue from the Chairman, who may revoke any appointment at any time without assigning any reason therefor.

(2) Members of the Association appointed by the Chairman in accordance with section 5(1)(b), (c) and (d) shall hold office for a period of 3 years from the dates of their respective appointments and shall be eligible for reappointment on completion of that period.

Meetings

8.—(1) The Board may meet as often as it considers necessary, but it shall in any case meet at least once in 3 months to discuss the management and affairs of the Association.

(2) General meetings of the Association may be held as often as the Board considers necessary, but the Board shall in any case convene an annual general meeting before the close of each year.

(3) The Board shall cause a notice of every general meeting and of every annual general meeting of the Association to be sent to all members of the Association. The notice shall specify the date, time and place for the holding of the meeting and the business to be transacted thereat. At least 7 days’ notice of every general meeting and of every annual general meeting shall be given to the members, and shall be deemed to have been received if posted by ordinary mail or despatched by messenger to the address of the member as stated in the records of the Association.

(4) The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board and shall have the right to vote on any question coming before or arising at any meeting of the Association or of the Board.

(5) The Deputy Chairman shall in the absence of the Chairman preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board and when so doing shall have and may exercise all the powers and functions of the Chairman. In the absence of both the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman at any meeting of the Association or of the Board, such member as the members present may select, shall act as Chairman.

(6) The quorum at all meetings of the Association shall be one-third of the total number of members of the Association, and no business shall be transacted unless a quorum is present.

(7) All questions coming before or arising at any meeting of the Association or of the Board shall be decided by a majority of the members present and voting thereon at that meeting of the Association or of the Board, and in the case of an equality of votes, the person presiding at the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(8) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Association under section 5(1)(b), (c) or (d), by reason of death, resignation, revocation of an appointment under section 7(1) or for any other cause, the Chairman shall—

(a)	in the case of a vacancy under section 5(1)(b) or (c), appoint a person to fill the vacancy; and
(b)	in the case of a vacancy under section 5(1)(d), in consultation with the organisation concerned, appoint a person to fill the vacancy,

and any person appointed under paragraph (a) or (b) shall hold office for so long as the member in whose place he is appointed would have held office.

Disclosure of interest

9.—(1) If a member of the Association or of the Board is directly or indirectly interested in any contract, proposed contract, or other matter and is present at a meeting of the Association or of the Board at which the contract or other matter is the subject of consideration, he shall, at the meeting and as soon as practicable after it commences, disclose the fact, and shall not thereafter be present during the consideration or discussion of, and shall not vote on any question with respect to, that contract or other matter.

(2) Subsection (1) shall also apply to any member of a committee appointed in accordance with section 10(2)(b) when the member is present at a meeting of any committee.

Objects of Association and powers of Board

10.—(1) The objects of the Association are —

(a)	the organisation and the promotion of group participation in social, cultural, educational and athletic activities for the people of Singapore in order that they may realise that they belong to a multiracial community, the interests of which transcend sectional loyalties;
(b)	the establishment of such institutions as may be necessary for the purpose of leadership training in order to instil in leaders a sense of national identity and a spirit of dedicated service to a multiracial community; and
(c)	the carrying out of any other activities that are incidental or ancillary to the objects set out in paragraphs (a) and (b).

(2) In order to achieve the objects set out in subsection (1) the Board may —

(a)	make rules to regulate the proceedings of the Association and of the Board and generally to carry out the purposes of this Act;
(b)	appoint committees and allocate duties to and regulate the exercise of executive power by the committees and the members of the Board;
(c)	appoint such officers and employees as it thinks fit for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this Act, and regulate the conduct and dismissal of those officers and employees;
(d)	enter into contracts, establish trusts and generally regulate the transactions of all business connected with the Association;
(e)	receive fees from persons participating in recreational activities organised by the Association, contributions from the Government and from other sources and raise funds by all lawful means to carry out the purposes of this Act, and moneys so received or raised shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of this Act;
(f)	manage or run community centres, youth clubs, boys’ clubs and girls’ clubs;
(g)	assist other bodies by contributions or otherwise to promote recreational activities for children, young persons and adults;
(h)	acquire, purchase, lease, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description, and sell, convey, assign, surrender and yield up, mortgage, demise, reassign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any movable and immovable property vested in the Association upon such terms as the Board considers fit;
(i)	award certificates of proficiency to persons who attend any of the courses or activities organised by the Association, after tests approved by the Association;
(j)	authorise the governing body of any institution established under subsection (1)(b) to carry out such activities as are not inconsistent with the objects of the Association as set out in subsection (1) and as are in accordance with the constitution of the institution; and
(k)	generally do all such other acts as may be necessary to achieve the objects of the Association.

Execution of documents

11. All deeds, documents or other instruments requiring the seal of the Association shall be sealed with the common seal of the Association in the presence of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman and one other member of the Board, who shall sign every such deed, document, or other instrument to which the common seal is affixed and their signing is sufficient evidence that the seal was duly and properly affixed and that it is the lawful seal of the Association.

Annual report

12. The Board shall, as soon as possible after the close of each financial year, submit to the Association at a general meeting or at the annual general meeting an annual report on the activities of the Association during that year for the adoption of the report at the meeting.

Bank account of Association

13.—(1) All moneys belonging to the Association shall be deposited in a bank in the name of the Association.

(2) All cheques drawn upon the bank account of the Association shall be signed by any two members of the Board who may be nominated by the Board for the purpose.

Accounts and audit

14.—(1) The Board shall keep proper accounts and other records of the Association and shall prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of accounts.

(2) The accounts of the Association shall be audited by such auditors as are appointed annually by the Board.

(3) So soon as the accounts of the Association have been audited in accordance with subsection (2), the statement of accounts together with any report made by the auditors shall be submitted by the Board to the Association at a general meeting or at the annual general meeting for the adoption of the statement of accounts and report at the meeting.

Association’s symbol

15.—(1) The Association shall have the exclusive right to the use of the symbol (referred to in this section as the Association’s symbol) a representation of which is set out in the Second Schedule.

(2) Any person who uses a symbol identical with the Association’s symbol or so nearly resembling that symbol as to be likely to deceive or cause confusion in relation to the identity of the Association shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500.

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