Public Order (Election Meetings in Parliamentary Elections) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

No. S 491

Public Order Act

(CHAPTER 257A)

Public Order
(Election Meetings in Parliamentary Elections)
(Amendment) Regulations 2020

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 47 of the Public Order Act, the Minister for Home Affairs makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the Public Order (Election Meetings in Parliamentary Elections) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 and come into operation on 26 June 2020.

Amendment of regulation 1

2. Regulation 1 of the Public Order (Election Meetings in Parliamentary Elections) Regulations 2009 (G.N. No. S 486/2009) (called in these Regulations the principal Regulations) is amended by inserting, immediately after the words “Election Meetings”, the words “and Processions”.

Amendment of regulation 2

3. Regulation 2 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by inserting, immediately after the words “election meetings)”, the words “and public processions (called in these Regulations election processions)”;

(b)

by deleting the words “nominated in accordance with the provisions of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap. 218) for election as a Member of Parliament for an electoral division” in paragraph (a);

(c)

by deleting the words “under that Act” in paragraph (a);

(d)

by deleting the words “under the Parliamentary Elections Act” in paragraph (b);

(e)

by deleting the words “that Act” in paragraph (b) and substituting the words “the Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap. 218)”;

(f)

by deleting the full‑stop at the end of paragraph (b) and substituting a semi‑colon, and by inserting immediately thereafter the following paragraph:

“(c)

a public procession (whether or not involving the use of vehicles or other conveyances) organised by or on behalf of a candidate, and held at any time on or after nomination day but before the eve of polling day of a parliamentary election —

(i)	to promote or procure the electoral success at the parliamentary election for one or more identifiable political parties, candidates or groups of candidates; or
(ii)	to otherwise enhance the standing of any such political parties, candidates or groups of candidates with the electorate, in connection with the election.”; and

(g)

by inserting, immediately after the words “election meetings” in the regulation heading, the words “and processions”.

Amendment of regulation 3

4. Regulation 3 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by deleting the definition of “advance notice” and substituting the following definitions:

“ “advance notice”, in relation to an election meeting or election procession, means notice of intention to organise the election meeting or election procession (as the case may be) required by section 6 of the Act, and includes the accompanying application for a permit for that meeting or procession, as the case may be;

“appropriate form”, in relation to any purpose for which a specific form is required by these Regulations to be used, means the relevant form that —

(a)	is provided by the Commissioner; or
(b)	is set out on the Commissioner’s Internet website at http://www.police.gov.sg/e‑services in relation to an advance notice; and any reference in these Regulations to a numbered form is a reference to the current version of the form bearing the corresponding number which is displayed at the website;”; and

(b)

by inserting, immediately after the definition of “nomination day”, the following definition:

“ “parliamentary election” means an election under the Parliamentary Elections Act;”.

Amendment of regulation 5

5. Regulation 5 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)

by deleting paragraph (1) and substituting the following paragraph:

“(1) For the purposes of section 6(1) of the Act, advance notice of an election meeting or election procession must be given to the Commissioner —

(a)

by delivering the advance notice in person at any of the offices of the following police officers:

(i)	a Deputy Commissioner of Police;
(ii)	the officer‑in‑charge of the Police Division in which the election meeting or election procession (as the case may be) is intended to be held;
(iii)	the Police Liaison Officer (Elections); or

(b)

by completing and submitting the appropriate web-based form on the Commissioner’s Internet website at http://www.police.gov.sg/e‑services, in accordance with the instructions on the website or the form, so that the Commissioner receives it not later than the applicable deadline specified in paragraph (2).”; and

(b)

by inserting, immediately after the words “election meeting” wherever they appear in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), the words “or election procession”.

Amendment of regulation 6

6. Regulation 6 of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting, immediately after the word “conditions” in the regulation heading, the words “for election meeting”.

New regulation 6A

7. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting, immediately after regulation 6, the following regulation:

“Permit conditions for election procession

6A. Every permit for an election procession organised by or on behalf of a candidate is subject to the following conditions, which are deemed to be imposed under section 8(2) of the Act:

(a)

only a vehicle that is specified in the permit may be used for the election procession;

(b)

the election procession must be held on the date and within the time specified in the permit;

(c)

the election procession must not do any of the following:

(i)	travel into any prohibited area under section 12 of the Act;
(ii)	deviate from the route specified in the permit;

(d)

the election procession must not travel outside of —

(i)	the electoral division in which the candidate stands nominated (whether alone or in a group) for the parliamentary election;
(ii)	in the case of a by‑election in an electoral division, the electoral division in which the candidate stands nominated (whether alone or in a group) for the parliamentary election; or
(iii)	in the case of a general election, any electoral division in which the political party that the candidate is standing for (whether alone or in a group) has another candidate standing nominated;

(e)

the election procession must not, between the following times, travel to any place within 100 metres of the place where an election meeting is held:

(i)	a time that is one hour before the scheduled time specified in a permit for the election meeting to start;
(ii)	a time that is one hour after the scheduled time specified in that permit for the election meeting to end;

(f)

all participants in the election procession must not, during the election procession, do any of the following:

(i)	use a loudspeaker or public address system to give a speech;
(ii)	sing or play any gong, drum, musical instrument or music‑producing equipment, without the authorisation of the police officer granting the permit;
(iii)	live-stream or broadcast a film of any person or event, or project any image of any participant of the election procession;

(g)

no participants may be carried at the back of an open deck of any vehicle used during the election procession.”.

Amendment of regulation 7

8. Regulation 7 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “an election meeting”, the words “or election procession”; and
(b)	by inserting, immediately after the words “the election meeting”, the words “or election procession, as the case may be”.

Amendment of regulation 8

9. Regulation 8 of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting, immediately after the words “an election meeting” in paragraphs (1) and (2), the words “or election procession”.

Amendment of regulation 10

10. Regulation 10 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “an election meeting” in paragraph (1), the words “or election procession”;
(b)	by inserting, immediately after the words “present at that election meeting” in paragraph (1), the words “or during that election procession (as the case may be)”;
(c)	by inserting, immediately after the words “order the election meeting” in paragraph (1), the words “or election procession (as the case may be)”;
(d)	by deleting the words “premises at which the election meeting is held” in paragraph (1) and substituting the words “place at which the election meeting or election procession (as the case may be) is held”; and
(e)	by deleting the word “premises” in paragraph (2) and substituting the word “place”.

Amendment of regulation 11

11. Regulation 11 of the principal Regulations is amended —

(a)	by inserting, immediately after the words “an election meeting” in paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), the words “or election procession”;
(b)	by inserting, immediately after the words “the election meeting” in paragraph (3)(a), (b), (c), (e) and (f), the words “or election procession (as the case may be)”;
(c)	by inserting, immediately after the words “the election meeting” in paragraph (3)(d), the words “or the route of the election procession, whichever being applicable”; and
(d)	by inserting, immediately after the words “election meeting” in the regulation heading, the words “or election procession”.

[G.N. Nos. S 134/2011; S 274/2017; S 534/2017]

Made on 25 June 2020.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[MHA 112/2/0108; AG/LEGIS/SL/257A/2015/7 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 47(4) of the Public Order Act).

Search within Legislation