CENTRAL SIKH GURDWARA BOARD BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 4.06 p.m.

The Acting Minister for Social Affairs (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Sikh Temples at Silat Road and Serangoon Road/Towner Road are now administered by Boards of Trustees appointed under the Silat Road Gurdwara Ordinance (Cap. 318) and the Queen Street Gurdawara Ordinance (Cap. 311) respectively.

The Sikh community have long recognized that having two separate Boards of Trustees to run the two principal Sikh Temples in Singapore is not practical. As early as 1961, a law was passed, called the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board Ordinance, 1961, to amalgamate the two Boards into a single Board of Management. However, this Ordinance was not brought into force because, soon after it was passed, a few leading members of the Sikh community objected to certain provisions contained in it.

There were no further developments until 1979 when the Sikh community revived the call for the amalgamation of the two Boards of Trustees into a single body. This was precipitated by the Housing and Development Board acquiring the land on which the Queen Street Temple stood. However, the HDB provided an alternative site at Serangoon Road/Towner Road and also erected a temporary temple on it for the Sikh community. The Sikh community has now to build a permanent structure so that the temporary temple can be demolished thereafter.

The amalgamation of the two Boards of Trustees will enable the Sikh community to concentrate on setting up a building fund for the construction of the Central Sikh Temple.

The Bill provides that the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board shall consist of 25 persons. The first Board shall be appointed by the Minister. Subsequent Boards will consist of 10 members to be appointed by the Minister and another 15 to be elected by persons whose names are on the Membership Register of the Central Sikh Gurdwara.

Clause 5 of the Bill provides that the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board shall set up and maintain a Membership Register in which shall be entered the names of persons who have made declarations that they profess the Sikh faith, are not less than 21 years of age and are ordinarily resident in Singapore. The establishment of this Membership Register will enable Sikhs who are interested in the management of the two principal Sikh temples to offer themselves for election which will be by secret ballot. However, no person may be appointed or elected a member of the Board unless he is a citizen of Singapore.

The Bill also provides for the Board to elect a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and other officials as it may consider necessary from among themselves. Board members are eligible for re-appointment or re-election at the end of their term of office of two years except that no member of the Board will be allowed to hold office as a Treasurer for more than two years consecutively.

I would like to assure the Sikh community that the first 25 members to be appointed by the Minister will be representative of all the major denominations of the Sikh community in Singapore. The Government will ensure that the members appointed to hold office are persons who are interested in furthering the welfare of the Sikh community and will not be influenced in their decision- making by narrow sectarian interests. However, I am confident that, since a high proportion of the Sikhs living in Singapore are Singapore citizens by birth, they will strive to foster a united Sikh community that will live in peace and harmony alongside other religious groups in Singapore.

Clause 12 of the Bill gives the Board the power to acquire, purchase, sell or otherwise dispose of movable and immovable property and, under Clause 19, all the movable and immovable property which were vested in the former Boards will vest in the Board upon the commencement of the Act.

Clause 16 empowers the Board to make rules with the approval of the Minister for the purposes of the Act. It is necessary for the smooth and proper running of the two temples that there should be rules set out to regulate the keeping of the Membership Register, the conduct of general meetings, the keeping of proper accounts and other related matters.

Clause 21 is a transitional provision and provides for the transfer of the rights and liabilities of the former Boards to the Board.

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. - [Dr Ahmad Mattar].

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