SINGAPORE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

6.38 p.m.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This is a short and simple Bill to dispense with the statutory requirement of having to revise the registers of electors in 1960.

Section 15 of the Singapore Legislative Assembly Elections Ordinance requires the electoral register for each electoral division to be revised annually before 15th September in each year, or such later date in that year as may be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara for the purpose.

The last revision of these registers was completed in December 1959. As the next general election will be in 1964, it is considered by the Government that with a view to economy, the revision of the electoral registers in 1960 be dispensed with. About $50,000 will be saved by dispensing with the revision.

The non-revision of the registers does not mean that no work will be done on the registers. Work will continue to keep the records of the registers up to date by making changes of address, additions of new voters, deletions of those no longer qualified to vote, apart from restoring to the registers the names of those who failed to vote at the last general elections and so forth.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Rajah: Mr Speaker. Sir, while the Opposition sees no objection to the course proposed by the Government, we on the Opposition do not agree with the reasons given by the Minister for not carrying out the provisions of section 15 of the Ordinance. The reason appears to be that the Government is so firmly convinced that it will remain in office till 1964 that it does not think that the electoral registers need revision and, on that basis, they would save $50,000.

Mr Speaker, Sir, there are certain types of expenditure which the Government must incur. Our view is that this is one of those types which must be incurred and we do hope that we will not be met with another Bill that electoral registers for 1961 also should be dispensed with.

Mr Thio Chan Bee: I wish to support the objection raised by the Member for Farrer Park, because, although we support economy in many fields, we do not think that economy when it comes to stopping or interfering with the electoral machinery is a wise move. It creates a bad precedent for the future. If a government could say, on the grounds of economy, that the revision of electoral registers could be dispensed with, then later on somebody might say that if it is economy, well, elections perhaps could be postponed for one or two years.

However, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he could clarify for me two points. A member of my constituency has asked whether, in his particular case, if there should be a by-election anywhere, a person like himself would be allowed to vote. He was out of the State of Singapore when the last election took place, and he has since asked for reinstatement because he was out of the Colony -

Mr Byrne: Colony?

Mr Thio Chan Bee: - out of the State of Singapore. Would he and people like him be allowed to vote, although the registers have not been in a way properly revised? Now in the case of those who have since the last elections moved to new districts, would they be voting in their new districts or would they have to vote in the old districts?

Mr Speaker: Mr Ong Pang Boon, in reply?

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, for the information of the Members for Farrer Park and Tanglin, there will be a revision of the electoral registers in 1961.

As for the two questions raised by the Member for Tanglin, the first one about a voter being away when the register was compiled, I will say that in his case he would not be eligible to vote if there should be a by-election, because his name would not be in the register. In the second instance, the voter will have to vote in his old district.

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.-[Mr Ong Pang Boon].

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