CONSTITUTION OF
Chinese Counselling Society (Singapore)
Amendment approved by Registry of Societies on 5-11-2014
NAME
1.1 This Society shall be known as the “Chinese Counselling Society (Singapore)
”, hereinafter referred to as the “Society”.
PLACE OF BUSINESS
2.1 Its place of business shall be at “4, Greenwood Place, Singapore 289129” or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Society shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary.
DEFINITIONS
3.1 In this Constitution
Society………………………………………………as defined under Rule 1.1 Member……………..…………………….as defined under Rule 5.1 and 5.2 Honorary Presidents…………………………..…..as defined under Rule 8.1
Honorary Committee Members……………..……as defined under Rule 8.1
Friends of Chinese Counselling Society (Singapore)
………………………………………………………as defined under Rule 8.2
Honorary Members ………………………….….…as defined under Rule 8.2
Advisors…………………………………………..…as defined under Rule 8.3
Committee…………………………………………as defined under Rule 10.1
Trustees……………………………………..……..as defined under Rule 13.2
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Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa: and words importing the masculine gender include the feminine and neuter gender.
OBJECTS
4.1 Its objects are:
a) to promote the links among members as well as local and overseas
Chinese counselling associations;
b) to create awareness on social pulses for research and report on social
psychological issues with a view to promote healthy community
development;
c) to extend the platform for research and publication, thereby raising the
practical skill and capability of academic research of the Chinese
language counsellors;
d) to offer better preventive and therapeutic counselling services by
integrate the community resources.
MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS
5.1 Membership is open to:
a) Alumni and students of the Graduate Institute of Guidance and Counselling of National Chi Nan University (Taiwan).
b) Any counselling professionals who are in turn with the objectives of the Society, subject to recommendation from members of the Society for approval by the Management Committee.
5.2 Only members who are above 21 years of age shall have the right to vote and to hold office in the Society.
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APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
6.1 A person wishing to join the Society should submit his particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form.
6.2 A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved member upon payment of the entrance fee.
ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES
7.1 The committee shall have the authority to determine from time to time the amount of entrance fees, subscription fees or any other fees payable by members of the society and the manner in which the same shall be paid.
7.2 Any member who fails to pay his subscription fees or such other fees as may be prescribed by the Society within six months after the same becomes due and payable (or such other period as the committee may determine from time to time) shall have his membership terminated at the end of the aforesaid grace period (or such other applicable grace period).
7.3 A member may resign from his membership with the society at any time by giving prior notice in written correspondence or via electronic means to the society. Such member shall continue to be liable for any subscription fees and any other fee due from him which are in arrears and unpaid as at the date of resignation.
7.4 The committee shall have the authority to determine the exemption of re-entrance fees for the member:
1) who is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more
than one (1) year and resumes membership after returning to
Singapore.
2) who has applied to temporarily resign from his membership due to
encountering a significant incident (to be determined by the
Committee) and resumes membership after settling the significant
incident.
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7.5 Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the general meeting of the members.
7.6 The income and property of the Society whensoever’s derived shall be applied towards the promotion of the objects of the Society as set forth in this Constitution and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend or bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the persons who at any time are or have been members of the Society or to any of them or to any person claiming through any of them.
7.7 The Society is entitled to accept donation from public and members.
7.8 Others incomes.
HONORARY PRESIDENTS, HONORARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS,
HONORARY MEMBERS, FRIENDS OF CHINESE COUNSELLING SOCIETY
(SINGAPORE) AND ADVISORS
8.1 The committee may appoint the following persons to be Honorary Presidents or
Honorary Committee Members:-
1) Those who have served on the committee
2) Those members who enjoy good reputation or have made
substantial contributions to the society
The term of office of such Honorary Presidents and Honorary Committee
Members shall be concurrent with that of the Committee and shall be eligible
for re- appointment.
Honorary Presidents and Honorary Committee Members do not form part of
the Committee stated at clause 10.1. They may be invited to Committee
Meetings but shall have no rights to vote at such meetings.
8.2 The Committee may appoint individuals who have made substantial
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contributions to the Society as Friends of Chinese Counselling Society
(Singapore) or Honorary Members. Friends of Chinese Counselling Society
(Singapore) and Honorary Members of the Society shall have no right to vote
and to hold office in the Society.
8.3 The committee shall have the power to appoint highly regarded individuals or
professionals as Advisor(s) of the Society and shall have the discretion to
determine the tenure of the office of such Advisor(s). Advisors of the Society
shall have no right to vote and to hold office in the Society.
SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS
9.1 The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a General Meeting of the members.
9.2 An Annual General Meeting shall be held once every year before end of March.
9.3 At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or thirty (30) voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at any time by order of the Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two (2) months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
9.4 If the Committee does not within two (2) months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving ten (10) days’ notice to voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Society’s notice board.
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9.5 At least two (2) weeks’ notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at least ten (10) days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on the Society’s notice board four (4) days in advance of the meeting.
9.6 Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy is allowed at all General Meetings.
9.7 The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:
a) The previous financial year’s accounts and annual report of the Committee.
b) Where applicable, the election of office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term.
Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General
Meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Secretary one (1)
week before the meeting is due to be held.
9.8 At least 25% of the total voting membership or thirty (30) voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part of the quorum.
9.9 In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any part of the existing Constitution.
MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE
10.1 The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following to be elected at alternate Annual General Meeting:
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A President
A Vice-President
A Secretary
An Assistant Secretary
A Treasurer
An Assistant Treasurer
Four Ordinary Committee Members
Supervisor
Unless with the prior approval in writing of the Registrar or an Assistant
Registrar of Societies, majority of the Committee Members shall be Singapore
Citizens. In addition, the President, Secretary, Treasurer and their deputies
shall be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents. Foreign
Diplomats shall not serve as Committee Members.
10.2 Names for the above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All office-bearers, except the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office of the Committee is two years.
10.3 Election will be either by show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
10.4 A Committee Meeting shall be held at least once every three (3) months after giving seven (7) days’ notice to Committee Members. The President may call a Committee Meeting at any time by giving five (5) days’ notice. Majority of the Committee Members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
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10.5 Any member of the Committee absenting himself from three (3) meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two (2) weeks of the change.
10.6 The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the daily activities of the Society. The Committee may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and shall always remain subordinate to the General Meetings.
10.7 The Committee has power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $2,000.00 per month from the Society’s funds for the Society’s purposes.
DUTIES OF OFFICE-BEARERS
11.1 The President shall chair all General and Committee meetings. He shall also represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons.
11.2 The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputise for him in his absence.
11.3 The Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the Society and shall be responsible for their correctness. He will keep minutes of all General and Committee meetings. He shall maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times.
11.4 The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary and deputise for him in his absence.
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11.5 The Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He is authorised to expend up to $2,000.00 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He will not keep more than $500.00 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Committee. Cheques, etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the President or the Vice-President or the Secretary.
11.6 The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and deputise for him in his absence.
11.7 Ordinary Committee Members shall assist in the general administration of the Society and perform duties assigned by the Committee from time to time.
AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR
12.1 Two (2) voting members, not being members of the Committee, shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at alternate Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of two years only and shall not be re-elected for a consecutive term. The accounts of the Society shall be audited by a firm of Certified Public Accountants if the gross income or expenditure of the Society exceeds $500,000 in that financial year, in accordance with Section 4 of the Societies Regulations.
12.2 They:
a) Will be required to audit each year’s accounts and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting.
b) May be required by the President to audit the Society’s accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.
12.3 The financial year shall be from 1st January to 31st December of the year.
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TRUSTEES
13.1 If the Society at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.
13.2 The trustees of the Society shall:
a) Not be more than four (4) and not less than two (2) in number.
b) Be elected by a General Meeting of members.
c) Not affect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of members.
13.3 The office of the trustee shall be vacated:
a) If the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind.
b) If he is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one (1) year.
c) If he is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he continues as a trustee.
d) If he submits notice of resignation from his trusteeship.
13.4 Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Society’s premises at least two (2) weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
13.5 The address of each immovable property, name of each trustee and any subsequent change must be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
PROHIBITIONS
14.1 Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden
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on the Society’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
14.2 The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in court of law.
14.3 The Society shall not engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
14.4 The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
14.5 The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Committee or members unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities.
14.6 The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Assistant Director Operations, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities.
AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
15.1 The Society shall not amend its Constitution without the prior approval in writing of the Registrar of Societies. No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be passed except at a general meeting and with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present at the General Meeting.
INTERPRETATION
16.1 In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is not expressly provided for in this Constitution, the Committee shall have power to use their own discretion. The decision of the Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members.
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DISPUTES
17.1 In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with this Constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.
DISSOLUTION
18.1 The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fifths (3/5) of the total voting membership of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
18.2 In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be disposed of in such manner as the General Meeting of members may determine or donated to an approved charity or charities in Singapore.
18.3 A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven (7) days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.
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