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Our Constitution
NAME
1. This Society shall be known as the SINGAPORE HERITAGE SOCIETY.
PLACE OF BUSINESS
2. Its place of business shall be at c/o 179 River Valley Road #05-06, Singapore 179033 or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
3. Singapore is fortunate not only in its geographical location but also in having accumulated during 167 years a rich legacy handed down from its pioneers and their progenitors. The benevolence of nature, the genius of its peoples, and good administration have combined to fashion a truly unique life-style and culture. From the beginning of its history its peoples have been willing to blend into the formation of that culture the best elements from their ethnic origins, with factors from a bountiful environment and ideas from the world at large. Hence our legacy from the past.
4. The Society aims to identify and foster that legacy so as to transmit it to future generations. The Society would be made up of professional people, scholars, academics, and others with a special knowledge in various relevant disciplines. The Society would propose to study and disseminate among the general public an appreciation of our ecology, our bui1t-environment and our way of life in its various spiritual and physical manifestations.
FUNCTIONS
5. The Society's functions are to promote active interest in the cultural life and history of Singapore and to initiate action on research, evaluation, documentation, publication, collection, display, and preservation and restoration of skills and items of historical interest.
6. To receive donations, endowments, legacies and subscriptions from persons desiring to promote the objects aforesaid or any of them.
7. To do all such other lawful things as may from time to time be conducive to the attainment of the objects above set forth or any of them.
MEMBERSHIP
8. Membership shall be open to those who subscribe to the objects of the Society and have a true interest in the preservation of Singapore Heritage. The issue of student membership will be separate from that of ordinary membership. Membership of the Society will now compose of four categories:
Ordinary members Associate members Student members Corporate members
9.
(a) Ordinary membership shall be open to all Singapore Citizens and permanent residents aged 21 and above.
(b) They have the right to vote and be elected to hold office.
10.
(a) Associate membership shall be open to all others aged 21 and above who are resident in Singapore but not eligible to be ordinary members. Student membership shall be open to students aged 18 and above who are residents in Singapore. They have no voting rights.
(b) Associate members should not exceed more than half the membership.
(c) Associate members shall have the right to exercise their vote. However, they will not be allowed to hold office but may be invited as observers to meetings.
11.
(a) Corporate membership shall be open to all organisations.
(b) They have no right to vote and be elected to hold office. However, they may be invited as observers to meetings.
12. Application for ordinary, associate, student and corporate membership shall be made in a form to be provided for the purpose. Such form shall be signed by the applicant and by his proposer and seconder, who must be ordinary members of the Association. Applications shall be approved or refused by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
13. The annual subscription is payable in advance within the first seven days of the first month of the Financial Year. If a member falls into arrears with his subcriptions, he shall be informed immediately by the Hon. Treasurer. If he fails to settle his subscription within three months of its becoming due, the President may order that he be denied the privileges of membership until he settles his account. If he falls into arrears for more than one year, he will automatically cease to be a member.
14. The annual subscription shall be S$50.00 for ordinary and associate members. Student membership fee will be set at S$25.00 per year. The anuual subscription for corporate members shall be S$1,000,00.
15. The rate of annual subscription may only be varied by a general meeting of the members. Any special subscriptions for particular purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of a general meeting of members.
MANAGEMENT - GENERAL MEETINGS
16. Supreme authority lies in a general meeting of the members presided over by the President. At least one quarter of the total voting membership of the Society present at a general meeting shall form a quorum.
17. An annual general meeting to be held not later than June. At other times a general meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of at least twenty per cent of the ordinary membership and may be called at any time by order of the committee.
18. At least two weeks' notice will be given of an annual general meeting and at least ten days' notice of any other general meeting and particulars of its agenda will be posted to members seven days in advance of the meeting. The following points will be considered at the annual general meeting:
The previous financial year's accounts and report of the Committee; The election of office-bearers including auditors and trustees for the following year.
Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of the general meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Hon Secretary one week before the meeting is to be held.
19. In the event of there being no quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules unless such resolution is passed with a two-third majority of those present.
20. All voting shall be by secret ballot, unless the meeting decides otherwise.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
21. The Management of the Society shall be vested in an Executive Committee of 10 members who shall be elected by the ordinary members at the Alternate Annual General Meeting.
22. The term of the office-bearers shall be for two years.
23. There shall be the following office-bearers to be elected from amongst the members of the Executive Committee:
A President A Vice-President An Hon Seretary An Hon Treasurer Six Ordinary Committee Members
24. Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Alternate Annual General Meeting. All Nominations shall be submitted in writing one week in advance of the meeting. An election shall follow on a simple majority vote.
25. All Executive Committee members with the exception of the Hon Treasurer can hold the same office term after term.
26. A committee meeting shall be held at least once in two months, after seven days' notice to committee members. The President may call a committee meeting at any time by giving three days' notice. At least one half of the committee members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
27. The duty of the committee is to organise and supervise the daily activities of the Society and to make decisions on matters, affecting its running when the general meeting is not sitting. It may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the general meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the general meetings.
28. The Executive Committee has power to authorise the expenditure not exceeding S$100,000 per month from the Society's funds for the Society's purposes.
OFFICE-BEARERS
29. The duties of the office-bearers are as follows:
The President shall act as Chairman at all genera and committee meetings. He shall also represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons. The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputise for him in his absence. The Hon Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the society and shall be responsible for their correctness. He will keep minutes of all general and committee meetings. He shall maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times. The Hon Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all monies on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He is authorised to expend up to $1,000.00 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He will not keep more than $1,000.00 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Committee. Cheques, etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the President, or Vice-President, or Hon Secretary in addition to the Hon Treasurer. Any member of the Committee absenting himself from three meetings consecutively without a satisfactory explanation shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee, and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next general meeting. Changes in the Committee shall be notified to the registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - SUB-COMMITTEES
30. The Executive Committee may appoint such sub-committees as it deems necessary for the proper and effective implementation of the objects of the Society.
31. The composition, powers and functions of such sub-committees shall be determined by the ExecutiveCommittee.
AUDIT
32. Two persons not members of the Committee will be elected as Hon Auditors at each Alternate Annual General Meeting and will hold office for two years only and may not be re-elected. They will be required to audit each financial year's accounts and present a report upon them to the annual general meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Society's financial accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.
33. The financial year shall be from 1 April to 31 March.
TRUSTEES
34. If the Society at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in Trustees subject to a declaration of trust. Any trustee may at any time resign his trusteeship. If a trustee dies or becomes a lunatic of unsound mind or moves permanently or is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of one year, he shall be deemed to have resigned his trusteeship. If a trustee is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undersirable that he continues as a trustee, a general meeting may remove him from his trusteeship. Vacancies in the trusteeship may be filled at a general meeting, but the number shall not be greater than four nor less than two.
Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by affixing in the premises of the Society a document containing such proposal at least two weeks before the meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities. The address of the immovable properties, names of trustees and any subsequent changes must be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.
PATRONS
35. The Executive committee may invite distinguished persons who are Singapore Citizens to be patrons of the Society.
PROHIBITIONS
36.
Gambling of any kind and the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes, or not, is forbidden on the Society's premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited. The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court. The Society shall not engage in Trade Union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore. The Society shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, or any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or services to be supplied by them. The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Committee or members. The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes. The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purpose without the prior approval in writing of the Registrar of Societies and other relevant authorities.
AMENDMENTS TO RULES
37. No alterations or additions to these rules shall be made except at a general meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.
INTERPRETATION
38. In the event of any question or matter arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the rules the Committee shall have power to use their own discretion.
DISSOLUTION
39.
The Society shall not be dissolved except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the members of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy at a general meeting convened for the purpose. In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be donated to charitable organisations which are registered under the Charities Act (Cap 37) of by a resolution at the general meeting or donated as decided by a resolution at the general Meeting to charitable organizations. Notice of dissolution shall be given within 7 days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.
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