SINGAPORE PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.06 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill seeks to amend the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance, Chapter 53, to provide for the preparation of the first registers of electors from the register maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration and to include in such electoral registers the names of all entitled persons who were on the first day of July 1967 citizens of Singapore and to whom identity cards were issued.

The present registers of electors were first compiled nine years ago in 1958. In the past, any person who possessed an identity card showing his place of birth as Singapore, and who was ordinarily resident in Singapore on the first day of February in any year and was not less than 21 years of age on the first day of July of that year, was automatically included in the registers of electors. In the recent re-registration of persons, it was discovered that a number of identity cards had been forged. Further, a number of persons with identity cards showing their place of birth as Singapore were not given citizen's identity cards due to insufficient proof of Singapore citizenship. For these reasons, fresh registers of electors have to be compiled. The fresh registers will be compiled from the records of citizens maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration and will include only those entitled persons who on the first day of July 1967 were citizens of Singapore and to whom identity cards were issued. This would mean that those persons whose names had been expunged from the registers since 1959 under the provisions relating to compulsory voting, other than those who are now dead or have left the country, will have their names restored in the new registers, as they will be in possession of new citizen's identity cards. It is hoped that with the restoration of their names to the registers of voters without penalty, these citizens will exercise their civic duty of voting in the elections in future.

However, the provision remains in the Ordinance to expunge the names of electors who fail to vote at any election, and to restore their names to the registers of electors only after payment of a fine of $5. If this measure proves inadequate, Government will consider amendments to the Ordinance to remove certain privileges of citizenship. For example, it may be provided that anybody seeking a Housing Board flat or social welfare relief or a place in school for their children, may in future have to show that they have performed their civic duty of voting in the elections and keeping their names alive in the electoral registers.

The Bill also provides for the revision of the registers in each year following the year 1967 to be completed before the 31st day of December in that year. Past experience has shown that the deadline of 15th September for the completion of the annual revision of the electoral registers is impracticable. The proposed amendment will obviate the necessity for reference to be made to the Minister each year for permission to certify the registers on or before the 31st December of that year.

This Bill will also make it an offence for any person to dissuade electors from voting between Nomination Day and Polling Day at any elections. At present such dissuasion is an offence only if it takes place on Polling Day. The amendment provides the same penalty for the offence as that provided in the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance for canvassing on Polling Day. Power is given to police officers to enter and search any premises or place in which they believe that the offence is being committed, and to arrest without warrant any person committing the offence in their presence.

Mr Speaker, Sir, during the Bukit Merah by-election in January 1966, members of a certain political Party went from house to house in the constituency between Nomination Day and Polling Day attempting to persuade the electorate to cast blank or spoilt votes. Similar attempts were made in the subsequent Thomson by-election. Similar attempts will no doubt be made by subversive elements in future elections. It is, therefore, necessary that provision should be made to ensure that every citizen is given the opportunity of casting his vote without fear or interference.

With the repeal of the Registration of Persons Ordinance, 1955, and its substitution by the National Registration Act, 1965, the Bill seeks to amend all references in the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance relating to the Registration of Persons Ordinance, 1955, to that of the National Registration Act, 1965, and to make certain amendments connected with the identity cards issued under the National Registration Act of 1965.

The opportunity has been taken to revise some of the forms in, and to make certain other amendments to, the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance with a view to achieving greater clarity and explicitness in the expressions used in the Ordinance and thus providing for better administration of the provisions of the Ordinance.

Question proposed.

Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the Singapore Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill.

Sir, undoubtedly the introduction of this Bill at the previous sitting has been most timely. This is in keeping with the present situation because we know that in the past ten years the conditions in our population and society have been far different from those obtaining before. According to statistics, there were 1,445,900 persons in 1957, but there are 1,939,000 persons now -ten years later. This is an increase of 500,000 persons. According to the latest statistics, the number of electors in 1959 was 555,655. In 1963, it was 635,782; in 1966, it was 708,316. At present, the number of electors is ---

Mr Speaker: Mr Teong, I am having some doubts about the relevancy of your speech. What you are saying may perhaps be more relevant to the next Bill on the Order Paper.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Sir, if that is the case, I will say something briefly on this Bill.

I feel that this Bill is very timely and is in keeping with the present situation, because there have been a lot of changes in our country. I also feel that after the amendment Bill relating to citizens is passed, the number of citizens in Singapore will be known definitely so that every general election will be conducted more successfully and smoothly.

Therefore, I support this Bill.

Mr P. Selvadurai (Bukit Panjang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I just want to bring out one or two points on this Bill.

Although I believe that in principle this is a logical development from the compulsory voting that we have in Singapore, I am not very happy about the way in which clause 9 of this Bill in respect of section 78A (1) is drafted. The words that I refer to are found in the last but one sentence - " ... attempt to dissuade any person from giving his vote at the election." This may prevent a person from appealing to the voters not to cast their votes at elections, but it may not really stand in his way of asking them to go into the polling booths and cast their votes for all candidates, thereby spoiling the votes. Technically, that may be considered as giving a vote to some candidate at the election itself, or you can even appeal to the voters to go into the polling booths and spoil the votes.

I wonder if this point can be looked into so that the prohibition that this amendment seeks to introduce is comprehensive indeed.

Mr Barker: I have nothing further to add except to assure the Member for Bukit Panjang that we will consider his proposal. But for the moment, I intend to take the Bill through as presented in Parliament.

Question put, and agreed to.

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

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Mr Barker].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

3.24 p.m.

Clauses 1 to 8 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 9 -

Question proposed, "That clause 9 stand part of the Bill."

Mr Tang See Chim: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like clarification from the Minister on the new section 78A (4) in clause 9 of the Bill. Section 78A (4) reads as follows:

`Any police officer may arrest without warrant any person offending in his view against any of the provisions of this section and take him as soon as practicable before a Magistrate's Court to be dealt with according to law.'.

The words I wish clarification on appear in the second line - "in his view". Does this phrase mean "in the opinion" or "in the presence" of the police officer? Can the Minister clarify it and, if necessary, amend this new sub-section to make it clearer? Reading the subsection as a whole, I think it should be "in his presence".

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not prepared at this stage to change "view" to "presence". The Ordinance has been drafted by the law officers of the Attorney-General's Department. Should the Member be correct in his submission, I will come back to Parliament and move the amendment. But I think he is well aware that though I am moving this Bill, it is a Bill that has been looked after by the Deputy Prime Minister. It has obtained his blessing and I am not prepared at this stage, as I have said, to move the amendment.

Mr Tang See Chim: But can the Minister clarify?

Mr Barker: What is it that the Member wants me to clarify? He has asked me a question and I have answered it.

Mr Tang See Chim: Can the Minister clarify whether the words "in his view" mean "in his opinion" or "in his presence"?

Mr Barker: The phrase includes the meaning "in his presence". It is for the Courts to construe the meaning, and if they construe "view" to mean "opinion" and we are wrong, we will come back.

Question put, and agreed to.

Clause 9 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 10 and 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

The Schedule ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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