LOCAL GOVERNMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

11.08 a.m.

The Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing (Inche Abdul Hamid Bin Haji Jumat): Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This is a very simple Bill and Members of this House have previously discussed the principal object which is at clause 2. This provision enables employees of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to qualify for election to the City and District Councils providing, of course, that they are otherwise eligible. In other words, local civilian employees engaged by the armed services are eligible to stand for election. Employees of the Government of the Colony, however, continue to be debarred from standing for local government elections.

The amendment at clause 3 re-enacts a provision in the Municipal Ordinance and renders it unnecessary for deeds executed by the City Council and the District Councils to be attested in the presence of an advocate and solicitor as required in section 12 of the Registration of Deeds Ordinance, provided that the provisions of subsection (1) and subsection (2) of section 36 of the Local Government Ordinance have been followed.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

11.10 am.

Mr Lee Choon Eng (Queenstown): Mr Speaker, Sir, I must congratulate the Government in realising the greatest blunder it has ever made in interpreting the law before the City Council elections. Late last year, when the political Parties and individuals were preparing for the City Council elections, the law was interpreted in such a way that Service employees were then not allowed to contest them. I say this with due respect to the Attorney General who, with his legal background, interpreted the law in such a way as to bar Service employees from contesting the elections. There were many public-spirited people who were prepared to come forward to contest the City Council elections in December last year, but because of the interpretation of this law, they could not do so. To quote a few, we "lost" a very good public-spirited man in Mr V. K. Nair who spent 6 years in the City Council, apart from his other public services. We also "lost" Mr Jaganathan who was also in the City Council for about seven years. Had it not been for the interpretation of this law, I am quite sure that these two men, together with many more from the three Services, would have contested the City Council elections. The result of their taking part would have been an entirely different composition of the City Council, and this may not have given the P.A.P. the big majority that it has today.

As an ex-employee of the Army, I welcome this amendment and speak for my old colleagues. All those Service employees are considered as employees of the Crown. They are not treated, exactly as what the Singapore Government employees are treated. Where elections are concerned, they are supposed to be treated the same; but where privileges are concerned, they are not given the same privileges because they do not enjoy many of the benefits which the Singapore' Government employees are enjoying.

While I was working in the Army, there was, as far as I know, a provision in the civilian staff regulations which provided for the nomination or election of a Service employee to the local government councils. There was also a provision which allowed the employee concerned to attend meetings of the local government councils - 24 days leave in a year, and these 24 days could be taken in half-days. If the employers themselves allow the employees to contest the elections, I cannot see why the Government should bar them from doing so. But better late than never - hence the introduction of this amending Bill.

We are going to have District Council elections very soon, and, in view of the vague reply given by the Minister this morning, I hope it will happen very soon, because we have not been given a definite date yet. This Bill will give a chance to local people in the Services to come forward and contest the elections. I congratuate the Government in introducing it in time before the District Council elections and I support it.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. [Inche Abdul Hamid.]

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read the Third time and passed.