SINGAPORE – The automatic registration process for new societies may be regulated more strictly to weed out societies that pose a threat to Singapore’s security.
Under current laws, all applications for new societies go through either a normal or fast-track automatic route.
Applications for societies related to religion, ethnicity, language and politics, which are known as specified societies, go through the normal route.
This means a vetting and assessment process, which may involve several rounds of clarifications with applicants.
All other societies are registered automatically when they submit an application and pay the prescribed fees – no questions asked.
With proposed changes to the Societies Act, the Registrar of Societies will be able to request more information from applicants who go through the automatic route.
The registrar will also have the power to reject an application submitted by the automatic route if he believes the society would likely be used for unlawful purposes, or would be in conflict with national interests or security.
The stricter process could filter out societies that may not be specified societies, yet pose a threat and should not be registered.
The Societies (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Parliament by Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling on Monday.
On average, there were about 280 applications for new societies each year in the past five years, with approximately half of them going through the automatic route, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
In the past five years, 53 applications were rejected. This means an average of 10 applications were rejected each year.
Since the automatic route was introduced in 2004, there have been three known cases registered this way that were eventually flagged as suspicious, said MHA.
It added that a hypothetical example of concern could be a group of people with a known history who wish to register a society to advocate for a racial group.
This group knows that if it did so via the normal route, the Registrar of Societies would be able to scrutinise the application, such as asking questions to clarify its objectives and its leadership composition.
MHA said: “To avoid being questioned, this group tries to set up a society with an innocuous aim, such as a history interest group. Such an application could then be submitted via the automatic route, which currently will be approved immediately.
“The proposed amendments in the Bill would allow the registrar to make inquiries on all applications submitted, including those via the automatic route if the registrar has grounds to be concerned.”
Those who provide false information in their application can face stiffer penalties. The amendments to the law include a fine increase from $5,000 to $10,000, and a new maximum jail term of one year.
The proposed new laws also make it clear the registrar can require specified societies to amend their rules as a condition for registration. If they do not do so, the registrar can refuse to register the society.
For example, the registrar will require societies that discuss race and religion issues to insert a rule stating they will not engage in any activities that may undermine racial and religious harmony in Singapore.
Another amendment clarifies why a registered society’s application to change its names or rules may be rejected.
A new name may be rejected if it is likely to mislead the public about the society’s true purpose, if it is identical to the name of another society, or if it is undesirable or offensive.
Rules may also not be approved if they contravene Singapore’s national interests or security, or prejudice public peace.
Other administrative matters the amendments cover include allowing the registrar, instead of the Minister for Home Affairs, to declare a person unfit to be an officer of a society.
If the Bill is passed, societies that are also charities can look forward to submitting only one submission annually via a one-stop portal, instead of two separate submissions currently for the Societies Act and Charities Act.
The term “place of business” in the Societies Act may also be removed as it is too narrowly defined for today’s context, where virtual offices and cloud computing are common. The laws will refer to a society’s registered address instead.
Correction note: An earlier version of this article quoted MHA as saying an average of five applications were rejected each year. The ministry has since clarified that an average of 10 applications were rejected each year.
