CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.30 p.m.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Labour (Mr S. Rajaratnam): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill amends various Articles to the Constitution relating to citizenship rights. The first amendment relates to Article 55. As amended, Article 55 would allow citizenship by descent to a child who is born outside Singapore of a father who is a Singapore citizen, whether by birth or by registration. In the case where the father is a Singapore citizen by birth, Article 55, as amended, would allow his child the right of Singapore citizenship by descent, In the case where the father is a Singapore citizen by registration, his child may claim citizenship by descent only if he does not acquire the citizenship of that country in which he was actually born by reason of his birth there. In both cases, the parents are required to register the child within one year of its birth with the Government or with the Singapore Mission in the country of the child's birth. However, the Government reserves to itself the right to grant permission to a person claiming citizenship by descent to register his birth, where this has not been done, within the one year prescribed.

The amendment to Article 60 (3) of the Constitution is purely a technical one in that it would extend the operation of the present Article 60 (3) to cover cases of citizens obtaining Singapore citizenship by registration under section 13 of the repealed Singapore Citizenship Ordinance, 1957. This section in the 1957 Ordinance corresponds to Article 58 of the Constitution. Both the provisions require a citizen who is a minor to take the oath of renunciation, allegiance and loyalty within twelve months of his attaining majority. Failure to do so will result in the subject losing his citizenship status.

At present there is a Committee of Inquiry which consists of a Chairman and two members appointed to hear all appeals from citizens who are to be deprived of their citizenship. It has been found from practical experience that it would be more desirable to have a panel from whom may be chosen two members to form such a Committee of Inquiry. This will expedite the hearing of appeals. The amendment to Article 63 (2) would enable the Government to appoint such a panel.

The amendment to Article 66 would now empower the Government to cancel certificates that have ben obtained under this Article in circumstances where such certificates have been obtained fraudulently or by mistake. The national registration exercise has brought to light a number of cases of persons who had used other persons unnamed birth certificates to claim Singapore citizenship under this Article. With this amendment the Government would now be empowered to cancel citizenship certificates under Article 66 where such certificates were obtained by means of fraud or concealment of material facts or by mistake.

Sir, I beg to move.

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 Rajaratnam].

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