STATUTES (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister for Law (Prof. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, at our last sitting, the House approved the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill which provides for an Elected President who will exercise a safeguard role over the financial reserves and the integrity of the public services. Those changes to the Constitution which we approved in turn affect the provisions of many existing statutes, and therefore it is necessary to make consequential amendments to those statutes. Therefore, Sir, this Bill is really a technical and consequential legislation. It seeks to make the following consequential amendments:

First, to amend the Central Provident Fund Act, the Housing and Development Act, the Jurong Town Corporation Act and the Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore Act to provide that no person can be appointed as Chairman, member or Chief Executive Officer of the Central Provident Fund Board, the Housing and Development Board, the Jurong Town Corporation and the Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore without the President's concurrence under Article 22A(1) of the Constitution;

Secondly, to amend the Currency Act, the Monetary Authority of Singapore Act, the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act to provide that the President, acting in his discretion, may refuse to appoint any persons as -

(i) the Chairman or member of the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore;

(ii) the Chairman or director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore;

(iii) the Chairman or member of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony; or

(iv) the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, and to refuse to revoke any such appointment if the President does not concur with the advice or recommendation of the authority on whose advice or recommendation he is to act;

Thirdly, to amend these Acts to require the relevant statutory boards to obtain the approval of the President for their budgets before their adoption;

Fourthly, to amend the Asian Development Bank Act, the Bretton Woods Agreement Act, the External Loans Act, the International Finance Corporation Act, the Loans (International Banks) Act, the Local Treasury Bills Act and the Treasury Deposit Receipts Act to provide that no loans or guarantees shall be raised or given by Government under those Acts without the President's concurrence.

Fifthly, to repeal section 3 of the Audit Act; and

Finally, to make consequential amendments to the Interpretation Act, the Civil List and Pension Act, the Defamation Act, the Development Fund Act, the Government Contracts Act, the Internal Security Act and the Statutory Corporations (Contributions to Consolidated Fund) Act.

In substance, I should inform Members that all the amendments in this consequential legislation follow from, and are consistent with, the constitutional amendments we have already adopted relating to the Elected President at our last sitting.

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. - [Prof. S. Jayakumar].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause 1 -

Prof. Jayakumar: Sir, I beg to move,

In page 1, after line 6, to insert -

"(2) The President may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of the different provisions of this Act.".

Sir, my explanation may be very brief. Since the Constitution (Amendment) Act itself has a provision providing that different provisions of that Act can be brought into operation at different times, it is logical that such an analogous provision be in this Bill also.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

The Chairman: Consequential amendment will be made in page 1, line 3, after "1.", to insert " - (1)". This will be done.

Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported with an amendment; read a Third time and passed.