| This Bill makes a number of important amendments to the National Service Ordinance, 1952, of Malaysia in its application to Singapore. The following are the principal changes proposed by the Bill: — |
| (1) The definition of “national service” is being extended to include service in the vigilante corps (clause 2). |
| (2) Serving members of the regular forces, members of the police forces, members of the fire brigades and persons who have left or been discharged from the regular forces in consequence of disablement or ill-health will no longer be exempted from liability to register for national service (clause 3). |
| (3) The requirement for a proclamation by the President in respect of liability to register for national service will be dispensed with (clause 4). |
(4) Liability to register for national service will be imposed by the Minister by notice in the Gazette and will extend to persons or categories of persons —| (a) | who are citizens of Singapore and are ordinarily resident therein; and | | (b) | have attained such age not being more than eighteen months below the minimum age for enlistment or enrolment under the Ordinance (clause 5). |
|
| (5) A national service reserve shall be established and maintained and on completion of full-time service a person will be transferred to the national service reserve for a period of ten years or until attaining the age of forty years whichever is the later. It is also provided that a person called up for service who has had his period of service shortened shall be transferred to the national service reserve and serve therein for the remainder of such period. Part VA of the Ordinance dealing with national service reserve is being repealed and re-enacted as part VIIA with such modifications as are necessary (clause 15). |
| (6) Under the Ordinance persons in the national service reserve can only be recalled for full-time service by proclamation made by the President. The proposed new section 16C seeks to remove this procedure and to vest the power of recalling the national service reserve in the proper authority who may exercise such power by the issue of a notice (clause 15). |
(7) A person who is called up for national service may be liable to serve —| (a) | two years full-time service; or | | (b) | twelve years part-time service or until attaining the age of forty years whichever is the later; or | | (c) | such shorter period as may be determined by the proper authority. |
| The proper authority may direct that a person who has been called up for national service be transferred from one form of service to another (clause 15 — new Part VIIB). |
|
| (8) Any person wishing to renew a postponement certificate may do so within fourteen days before the expiration of the date specified by the proper authority in the certificate as the date by which such application for renewal shall be made (clause 16). |
| (9) The penalties under sections 20 and 21 of the Ordinance have been extended to include imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months (clauses 18 and 19). |
| (10) The employer of any person who is in the national service reserve and who has been called up for training shall be liable to pay to such person any loss in emoluments incurred by such person as a result of his being called up for training. Provision is also made for the employer of any person called up for part-time service to grant to such person sufficient time off from work on the days he has to undergo training or perform his weekly duty and also to grant him paid leave up to a maximum of one week each year for the purposes of in-camp training (clause 20). |
(11) Service of any notice or any other document for the purposes of the Ordinance is being extended to include service by public announcement over radio and television, by announcement in the daily press, by notice published in the Gazette, and by notice displayed at some public place (clause 21).| The Bill also makes a number of drafting and consequential amendments. |
|
|