CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL First Reading

3.08 p.m.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to introduce a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance, 1955."

Bill read the First time.

Second Reading

Mr Speaker: Second Reading, what day?

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Now, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I lay upon the Table a Certificate of Urgency signed by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara in respect of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment No. 2) Bill.

Certificate of Urgency handed in.

Mr Speaker: The Certificate is in order. Are typed copies of the Bill available for the use of Members?

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Yes.

Typed copies of the Bill handed in to the Clerk and distributed to hon. Members.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, this short Bill seeks to amend section 49A of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance, 1955, by empowering the Minister to direct that a person, placed under the supervision of the Police under the provisions of the Ordinance, shall not be permitted to enter any area specified in the Order.

When the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Amendment Bill was moved in August 1959, it was intended that power should be granted to the Minister to direct that a supervisee shall remain within doors and to prohibit the supervisee from visiting specified areas which have been the scene of his past criminal activities. When the law was passed, the power of the Minister to direct that a supervisee shall remain within such area as may be specified in a Supervision Order was interpreted to mean that a person under Supervision Order can be prohibited from visiting any area specified in the Order. In an appeal against the acquittal of a supervisee for breaking this condition, it was held by the High Court that the power to confine a person on a Supervision Order to a particular area does not entitle the Minister to impose the condition that he shall not visit the area specified in the Order.

Sir, in Government's campaign against secret societies, it has been found that such a provision in the Criminal Law has been effective in curbing secret society activities. The continued use of this condition is therefore very desirable in order to prevent persons placed under Supervision Orders from visiting areas which have been the scene of their past secret society activities. The Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance is therefore being amended to make this condition intra vires the law. This condition is used judiciously and is applied mainly to those secret society gangsters who, although they do not live or work in certain streets or areas, have been concentrating their activities or exerting their evil influence in those streets or areas. These streets or areas have been well rid of the presence of these social parasites. This amendment to the law, Sir, follows a similar provision in the Prevention of Crime Ordinance, 1959, of the Federation of Malaya.

Sir, with the help of the powers granted under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance, 1955, the Government has dealt telling blows on secret society activities and is getting on top of the situation. The secret society menace is now being dealt with under a two-pronged strategy. On the one hand, thugs and gangsters are being continually kept on the run, while on the other hand those under detention are now being channelled through the educative and rehabilitative process of the Pulau Senang scheme. The Pulau Senang experiment has gone off to a good start and its present progress gives cause for hope in the future.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

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

Assembly immediately resolved itsself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Ong Pang Boon].

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