96-559: The Presidential Elections Committee ( PEC ) is a six-member council set up by the Government of Singapore to ensure that each candidate running for the office of President of Singapore fulfils the stringent qualifications set out in Article 19 of the Constitution of Singapore . The Presidential Elections Committee consists of: There is also a Community Committee, which will assess whether
192-507: A special majority : not less than two-thirds of all MPs on the second and third readings. The bill will ordinarily take at least two Parliament sittings to be passed in the Parliament, with the first reading being a separate sitting from the subsequent two readings. However, an urgent bill accompanied by a Certificate of Urgency signed by the President may have all of its three readings done in
288-511: A Council of Ministers was created, appointed by the governor on the recommendation of the leader of the house. Constitutional talks between Legislative Assembly representatives and the Colonial Office were held from 1956 to 1958, and Singapore achieved full internal self-government in 1959. The governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara , who had power to appoint to the post of prime minister
384-711: A Parliamentary motion for such action has been passed by at least two-thirds of all MPs. The PCMR has not rendered any adverse reports since it was set up in 1970. Three types of bills need not be submitted to the PCMR: The President generally exercises his constitutional function of assenting to bills in accordance with Cabinet's advice and does not act in his personal discretion. Therefore, except in certain instances described below, he may not refuse to assent to bills that have been validly passed by Parliament. The words of enactment in Singapore statutes are: "Be it enacted by
480-457: A bill makes substantial, and not merely incidental, provision for: the Minister for Finance must signify that the President has recommended the introduction of the bill, otherwise it may not be introduced in Parliament. On the second reading, the minister responsible for moving the bill usually makes a speech explaining the objects and reasons behind the bill. The general merits and principles of
576-401: A chairman, a deputy chairman, and not less than 10 nor more than 25 other members as the Minister for Digital Development and Information may from time to time determine. The members of the board are appointed by the minister, and hold office for such term as the minister may determine unless they resign during their term of office or their appointment is revoked by the minister. The minister
672-649: A dependency of Bencoolen and was placed under the control of the Presidency City of Calcutta ( Kolkata ) in the Bengal Presidency . On 24 June 1824, Singapore and Malacca were formally transferred to the East India Company, with the result that they came under the control of Fort William . Full cession of Singapore to the company by the Sultan and Temenggung was effected by a treaty of 19 November 1824, which
768-471: A favourable report or no report within the time prescribed (in which case the bill is conclusively presumed not to contain any differentiating measures), the bill is presented to the President for assent. If the PCMR submits an adverse report, Parliament can either make amendments to the bill and resubmit it to the council for approval, or decide to present the bill for the President's assent nonetheless provided that
864-424: A notification made under a law. Subsidiary legislation , also known as "delegated legislation" or "subordinate legislation", is written law made by ministers or other administrative agencies such as government departments and statutory boards under the authority of a statute (often called its "parent Act") or other lawful authority, and not directly by Parliament. Although there is no general requirement (as there
960-540: A parliament has been dissolved a general election must be held within three months. Following a general election, the President appoints as Prime Minister an MP who, in their judgment, is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the MPs. In practice, the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party holding the majority of the seats in Parliament. The President also appoints other Ministers from among
1056-545: A sense of national identity and a spirit of dedicated service to a multiracial community. There are five Community Development Councils (CDCs) appointed by the board of management of the PA for districts in Singapore, namely, the Central Singapore CDC , North East CDC , North West CDC , South East CDC and South West CDC . The functions of a CDC include fostering community bonding and strengthening social cohesion amongst
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#17328446515701152-456: A third reading. At this stage, only amendments not of a material character may be made to the bill. The minister moving the third reading may also make a speech outlining the changes made to the bill. The bill is then put to the vote. In most cases, a simple majority of Parliament is all that is needed for the bill to be approved. However, bills seeking to amend the Constitution must be carried by
1248-436: Is a statutory board, the objects of which include the organisation and the promotion of group participation in social, cultural, educational and athletic activities for the people of Singapore in order that they may realise that they belong to a multiracial community , the interests of which transcend sectional loyalties ; and the establishment of institutions for the purpose of leadership training in order to instill in leaders
1344-513: Is composed of the following members. On 16 April 2024, then Prime Minister-designate Lawrence Wong announced that then outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong would assume the office of Senior Minister and stay on in his cabinet after stepping down as the Prime Minister on 15 May 2024. As in the United Kingdom and in a number of Commonwealth countries, Members of Parliament (MPs) may be appointed as Ministers of State to aid Ministers in
1440-456: Is deficient as a process". Winslow suggested that there is an "embarrassment of uncertainty" for a candidate seeking nomination, because they may be rejected for reasons completely unclear to them, and that "men of eminence" will not agree to be nominated if they are likely to be humiliated by rejection. The Presidential Elections Committee for the 2005 Singapore presidential election had three members: The Presidential Elections Committee for
1536-603: Is gathered in red binders, and are also accessible on-line from Singapore Statutes Online , a free service provided by the Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore . Most statutes, apart from amending Acts and certain Acts such as Supply Acts, are assigned chapter numbers (the word "chapter" is usually abbreviated "Cap."). Revised editions (abbreviated "Rev. Ed.") of statutes that consolidate all amendments to statutes within certain periods of time are published regularly. A statute of
1632-482: Is generally not bound by previous decisions made by other judges in courts of the same level. Thus, a judge hearing a High Court case need not follow previous High Court decisions. Nonetheless, courts generally do so as a matter of comity , unless there are good reasons for doing otherwise. As the final appellate court in Singapore, the Court of Appeal is not bound by its previous decisions or those of predecessor courts such as
1728-433: Is generally perceived to be competent in managing the country's economy , and largely free from political corruption . Transparency International 's 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index , which compares countries according to the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians, ranked Singapore in joint first place with Denmark and New Zealand out of 178 countries. In addition, Singapore
1824-466: Is hereby notified for general information that, pursuant to Article 30(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the Prime Minister has directed that Mr S. Jayakumar shall, with effect from 1st April 2009, be charged with the responsibility for the following matters: and that he shall be designated as Senior Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security. Ministers may be designated by
1920-687: Is in the United Kingdom) for subsidiary legislation to be laid before Parliament for its information, this is usually done in Singapore. Subsidiary legislation is known by a variety of names. Section 2(1) of the Interpretation Act defines "subsidiary legislation" as meaning "any order in council, proclamation, rule, regulation, order, notification, by-law or other instrument made under any Act, Ordinance or other lawful authority and having legislative effect". Subsidiary legislation must, unless otherwise expressly provided in any statute, be published in
2016-428: Is no provision for any independent election commission. Constitutional lawyer Thio Li-ann wrote that the mechanism of selecting qualified candidates "removes the power of choice one step further away from the people, placing in the hands of an unelected group of people the power to decide who is a suitable candidate". Thio observed that the committee is "not under a legal duty to give reasons for their decision, which
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#17328446515702112-453: Is not required to provide any reason for revoking the appointment of a board member. The minister may, in consultation with the Board or otherwise, give the board directions as he thinks fit that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the act concerning the exercise and performance by the board of its functions, and the board is required to give effect to such directions. With the approval of
2208-653: Is the sense intended when it is said that a political party "forms the Government". The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore uses the word Government to mean the Executive branch, made up of the President and the Cabinet. This article describes the Government of Singapore in this technical sense, as well as selected aspects of the Executive branch of the Government. On 30 January 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles , an Englishman who
2304-649: Is the supreme law of Singapore. Any law the Legislature enacts after the commencement of the Constitution that is inconsistent with it is, to the extent of the inconsistency, void. Statutes of the Singapore Parliament, as well as English statutes in force in Singapore by virtue of the Application of English Law Act 1993 , are published in looseleaf form in a series called the Statutes of the Republic of Singapore , which
2400-487: Is written law made by ministers or other administrative agencies such as government departments and statutory boards under the authority of a statute (often called its "parent Act") or other lawful authority, and not directly by Parliament. As Singapore is a common law jurisdiction , judgments handed down by the courts are considered a source of law. Judgments may interpret statutes or subsidiary legislation, or develop principles of common law and equity laid down, not by
2496-464: The 11th Parliament , Lim Hwee Hua , who was a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, also held the posts of Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport. As of 8 July 2024, the ministries of the Government are the following: A ministry is usually composed of a headquarters and a number of departments, boards or other subordinate entities, and statutory boards . For instance, in May 2007
2592-602: The 1959 general elections , the People's Action Party (PAP) swept to power with 43 out of the 51 seats in the Assembly, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister of Singapore. Nine other ministers were appointed to the Cabinet. The executive branch of the Singapore Government remained largely unchanged, although now it governed a state within a larger federation . However, with effect from 9 August 1965, Singapore left
2688-475: The 2015 general election . The Presidential Elections Committee for the 2023 presidential election comprises six members. The Community Committee is headed by Edward D'Silva, a member of the Public Service Commission . Government of Singapore [REDACTED] The government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to consist of the President and
2784-728: The 2017 presidential election comprises six members. The Community Committee is headed by Timothy James de Souza, a member of the Presidential Council of Minority Rights. The Malay community sub-committee, which will issue the Malay Community Certificate to candidates, comprises five members. All five were also on the Malay Community Committee that gave the green light to Malay candidates in Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) in
2880-858: The Central Provident Fund Board (CPF), the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the National Heritage Board (NHB), and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) are all statutory boards. The National Heritage Board is an example of a typical statutory board. It
2976-635: The Electronic Gazette website. As Singapore is a common law jurisdiction , judgments of the courts are considered a source of law. Judgments may interpret statutes or subsidiary legislation, or develop principles of common law and equity that have been laid down, not by the legislature, but by previous generations of judges. Major portions of Singapore law, particularly contract law , equity and trust law , property law and tort law , are largely judge-made, though certain aspects have now been modified to some extent by statutes. Legal certainty and
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3072-672: The Federation of Malaysia and became a fully independent republic . On separation from Malaysia, the Singapore Government retained the executive authority it held, and took on additional executive authority over Singapore that the Parliament of Malaysia relinquished. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the Supreme Head of State of Malaysia, also ceased to be the Supreme Head of Singapore and relinquished his sovereignty, jurisdiction, power and authority, executive or otherwise in respect of Singapore, which
3168-513: The Government Gazette and, unless expressly provided in the subsidiary legislation itself, takes effect and comes into operation on the date of its publication. No subsidiary legislation made under an Act of Parliament may be inconsistent with the provisions of any Act. This means that any subsidiary legislation that was made ultra vires its parent Act (that is, the Act did not confer power on
3264-620: The Supreme Court of Singapore . The Academy has also republished cases decided since Singapore's full independence in 1965 that appeared in the MLJ in special volumes of the SLR, and is currently working on a reissue of this body of case law. Cases published in the SLR as well as unreported judgments of the Supreme Court and Subordinate Courts are available on-line from a fee-based service called LawNet , which
3360-512: The Bill to a Constitutional Tribunal, the bill is deemed to have been assented to on the day following the expiry of the 30-day period. The procedure is similar for a bill mentioned in paragraph 2, except that if the Constitutional Tribunal rules that the bill has a circumventing or curtailing effect, the Prime Minister has no power to put the bill to a referendum. This ensures that changes to
3456-636: The Board are: The board is empowered to "do all things necessary or convenient to be done for or in connection with the performance of its functions". Without prejudice to the generality of that provision, the Board also has power to, for example, develop and manage museums, archives, oral history centres and other facilities related to its functions; to advise and facilitate the preservation of historic sites; and to establish liaison with other museums, archives, oral history centres, universities and other institutions to secure maximum collaboration of all activities relevant to its functions. The board consists of
3552-463: The Cabinet since 1959. The term Government of Singapore can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the Executive branch , Legislative branch (the President and Parliament of Singapore ) and Judicial branch (the Supreme Court and Subordinate Courts of Singapore ). The term is also used colloquially to mean
3648-704: The Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Law) (Consolidation) Notification, the Senior Minister of State for Law is deputed to exercise certain powers of the Minister for Law under the Copyright Act, Criminal Procedure Code, Land Acquisition Act, Land Surveyors Act, and Pawnbrokers Act; while the Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs is deputed the powers of the Minister for Home Affairs under regulation 157 of
3744-527: The Executive and Legislature together, as these are the branches of government responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation and lawmaking. At its narrowest, the term is used to refer to the Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to a particular political party (or coalition of parties ) holding a majority of seats in Parliament sufficient to enable the party (or coalition) to form the Cabinet of Singapore – this
3840-468: The Executive. Executive authority of Singapore is vested in the President but exercised on the advice of the Cabinet led by the Prime Minister. The President, acting as the Head of State, may only act in their discretion in appointing the Prime Minister, acting as the Head of Government; as well as withholding consent for the dissolution of Parliament; along with performing key checks on the Government in addition to
3936-537: The Government and, along with the Cabinet, sets the general direction and control of the Government for the next term. A statutory board is an autonomous agency of the Government that is established by an Act of Parliament and overseen by a government ministry. Unlike ministries and government departments that are subdivisions of ministries, statutory boards are not staffed by civil servants and have greater independence and flexibility in their operations. There are five Community Development Councils (CDCs) appointed by
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4032-468: The Government. As Singapore follows the Westminster system of government, the legislative agenda of Parliament is determined by the Cabinet. At the start of each new Parliamentary session , the President gives an address prepared by the Cabinet that outlines what the Cabinet intends to achieve in the session. Each parliament lasts for a maximum of five years from the date of its first sitting, and once
4128-633: The Governor on the recommendation of the Leader of the House, who would be the leader of the largest political party or coalition of parties having majority support in the legislature. The recommendation was implemented in 1955. In the general election held that year, the Labour Front took a majority of the seats in the Assembly, and David Saul Marshall became the first Chief Minister of Singapore . Major problems with
4224-564: The Governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State), who had power to appoint as Prime Minister the person most likely to command the authority of the Legislative Assembly, and other Ministers of the Cabinet on the Prime Minister's advice. The Constitution also created the post of the British High Commissioner, who was entitled to receive the agenda of each Cabinet meeting and to see all Cabinet papers. In
4320-493: The MPs, acting in accordance with the Prime Minister's advice. The Prime Minister may, by giving written directions, charge any Minister with responsibility for any department or subject. In practice, this is done by issuing notifications that are published in the Government Gazette . For instance, the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Responsibility of Senior Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, Prime Minister's Office) Notification 2009 states: It
4416-644: The Ministry of Law had three departments (the Chief Information Officer's Office, Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office and Legal Aid Bureau), three boards and tribunals (the Appeals Board for Land Acquisitions, Copyright Tribunal and Land Surveyors Board), and two statutory boards (the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and Singapore Land Authority ). The First Lawrence Wong Cabinet
4512-643: The Official Members. In 1956, members of the Legislative Assembly held constitutional talks with the Colonial Office in London. The talks broke down as Marshall did not agree to the British Government's proposal for the casting vote on a proposed Defence Council to be held by the British High Commissioner to Singapore, who would only exercise it in an emergency. Marshall resigned as Chief Minister in June 1956, and
4608-716: The PA's board of management is empowered to designate the Chairman of a CDC to be the Mayor for the district that the CDC is appointed for. As it is the practice for MPs to be appointed as Chairmen of CDCs, these MPs have also been designated as Mayors. As of 25 July 2020, the Mayors are: Even if Mayors are required to vacate their seats in Parliament because Parliament has been dissolved or otherwise, they continue to hold office until their terms of office expire or they are directed to vacate their office by
4704-547: The PA's board of management. As of January 2012, the Mayors are paid an annual salary of S$ 660,000 (US$ 486,500). Sources of Singapore law#Statutes There are three general sources of Singapore law : legislation , judicial precedents ( case law ), and custom . Legislation is divided into statutes and subsidiary legislation. Statutes are written laws enacted by the Singapore Parliament , as well as by other bodies that had power to pass laws for Singapore in
4800-412: The President may refer to a tribunal consisting of not less than three judges of the Supreme Court for its opinion any question as to the effect of any provision of the Constitution that has arisen or appears likely to arise. Where a Constitutional Tribunal has given an opinion, no court has jurisdiction to question the opinion, or the validity of any law the bill for which was the subject of a reference to
4896-424: The President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:". The President may act in his discretion in withholding assent to any of the following types of bills passed by Parliament: As regards a bill mentioned in paragraph 1, the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet, may refer to a Constitutional Tribunal the question of whether the bill circumvents or curtails
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#17328446515704992-482: The President's discretionary powers can only be made by way of constitutional amendments and not ordinary statutes. If the President withholds his assent to any Supply Bill, Supplementary Supply Bill or Final Supply Bill referred to in paragraph 5 contrary to the recommendation of the Council of Presidential Advisers, Parliament may by resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the total number of elected MPs overrule
5088-481: The Prime Minister to be in charge of particular ministries , or as Ministers in the Prime Minister's Office . Such Ministers were formerly known as Ministers without portfolio . The Prime Minister may retain any department or subject in their charge. Some Ministers are appointed as Second Ministers for portfolios other than their own to assist the primary Minister in their duties. For instance, on 1 April 2009 during
5184-433: The Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament, Parliamentary General Elections are held to elect members of Parliament for a new term. The President, in their discretion, then appoints a Prime Minister who is a member of Parliament representing any political party or coalition of political parties who in their judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of Parliament. The Prime Minister then forms
5280-808: The Prisons Regulations pursuant to the Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Home Affairs) (Consolidation) Notification. A statutory board is an autonomous agency of the Government that is established by an Act of Parliament and overseen by a government ministry. The Act sets out the purposes, powers and rights of the agency. Unlike ministries and government departments that are subdivisions of ministries, statutory boards may not be staffed by civil servants and have greater independence and flexibility in their operations. They are managed by boards of directors whose members usually include businessmen, professionals, senior civil servants and officials of trade unions. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR),
5376-475: The Privy Council. However, the Court continues to treat such decisions as "normally binding" and only departs from them "where adherence to such prior decisions would cause injustice in a particular case or constrain the development of the law in conformity with the circumstances of Singapore". Only the ratio decidendi (that is, the legal principle that determines the outcome) of a case is binding according to
5472-609: The Rendel Constitution were that the Chief Minister and ministers' powers were ill-defined, and that the Official Members retained control of the finance, administration, and internal security and law portfolios. This led to confrontation between Marshall, who saw himself as a Prime Minister governing the country, and the Governor , Sir John Fearns Nicoll , who felt that important decisions and policies should remain with himself and
5568-411: The Rendel Constitutional Commission under the chairmanship of Sir George William Rendel , which had been appointed to comprehensively review the constitution of the Colony of Singapore, rendered its report. Among other things, it recommended that a Council of Ministers be created, composed of three ex officio Official Members and six Elected Members of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore appointed by
5664-422: The Singapore Parliament begins its life as a bill , which is usually introduced in Parliament by a government minister . In practice, most legislation is initiated by the Cabinet , either acting on its own or on the advice of senior civil servants . Bills go through the following stages in Parliament: At the first reading, the bill is introduced into Parliament, usually by the responsible minister. No debate on
5760-424: The Singapore Parliament, as well as by other bodies such as the British Parliament , Governor-General of India in Council and Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements , which had power to pass laws for Singapore in the past. Statutes enacted by these other bodies may still be in force if they have not been repealed . One particularly important statute is the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore , which
5856-414: The Tribunal. During Straits Settlements times, cases pertaining to Singapore appeared in various privately produced and official series of law reports such as Kyshe's Reports (covering cases decided between 1808 and 1939), the Straits Law Journal (1839–1891) and the Straits Settlements Law Reports (1867–1942). From 1932 until 1992, Singapore cases appeared regularly in the Malayan Law Journal (MLJ),
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#17328446515705952-432: The absence of any provision of law to the contrary, with the approval of the President and by notification in the Government Gazette , depute any person by name or the person for the time being discharging the duties of an office designated by him to exercise that power or perform that duty on behalf of the Minister subject to such conditions, exceptions and qualifications as the President may determine. For instance, under
6048-439: The agency to make the subsidiary legislation) or is not consistent with any other statute is void to the extent of the inconsistency. Subsidiary legislation currently in force in Singapore is published in looseleaf form in a series called the Subsidiary Legislation of the Republic of Singapore , which is gathered in black binders. New subsidiary legislation published in the Gazette may be viewed for free on-line for five days on
6144-402: The bill are then debated. The bill then proceeds to the committee stage, where the details of the drafting of the proposed law are examined. Where a bill is relatively uncontroversial, it is referred to a committee of the whole Parliament ; in other words, all the MPs attending the sitting form a committee and discuss the bill clause by clause. Bills that are more controversial, or that require
6240-414: The bill takes place. The bill is considered as having been read after the MP introducing it has read aloud its long title and laid a copy of it on the Table of the House, and the Clerk of Parliament has read out its short title . Copies of the bill are then distributed to MPs, and it is published in the Government Gazette for the public's information. The bill is then scheduled for its second reading. If
6336-408: The bill, the Prime Minister may direct that the bill be submitted to the electors for a national referendum. In that case, the bill only becomes law if it is supported by not less than two-thirds of the total number of votes cast at the referendum. If 30 days have expired after a bill has been presented to the President for assent and he or she has neither signified the withholding of assent nor referred
6432-456: The board of management of the People's Association (PA) for districts in Singapore . Where there are not less than 150,000 residents in a district, the PA's board of management may designate the chairman of a CDC to be the mayor for the district that the CDC is appointed for. As it is the practice for Members of Parliament (MPs) to be appointed as Chairmen of CDCs, these MPs have also been designated as mayors. There are currently five districts in
6528-428: The candidate belongs to the specified ethnic community. Legal academic Valentine Winslow wrote that the committee has the power to reject anyone who does not have "integrity, good character, and reputation", and that this places too much discretionary power in the hands of a small group of persons, with no guarantee that they are qualified to judge others as being of integrity and good character, or are unbiased, as there
6624-401: The ceremonial duties of the Head of State inherited from the Westminster system . The Cabinet, consisting of the Prime Minister and ministers appointed by the President on the Prime Minister's advice, is responsible for heading the Executive through ministries and other statutory boards . At the end of the term or at any time during the term, once the President has consented to a request made by
6720-432: The circulation of foreign newspapers deemed to have engaged in domestic politics . The Constitution defines the Government of Singapore as the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. The executive authority of Singapore is vested in the President and is exercisable by them or by the Cabinet of Singapore or any Minister authorised by the Cabinet. However, the President normally plays a nominal and largely ceremonial role in
6816-403: The country. From the founding of contemporary Singapore in 1819, Singapore was headed by two residents in succession. Following Singapore's amalgamation into the Straits Settlements in 1826, it was governed by a governor together with a legislative council . An executive council of the Straits Settlements was introduced in 1877 to advise the governor but wielded no executive power. In 1955,
6912-499: The decision of the President. If Parliament does not do so within 30 days of the withholding of assent, it may authorize expenditure or supplementary expenditure, from the Consolidated Fund and Development Fund during the relevant financial year, provided that: If 30 days have passed after a Supply Bill, Supplementary Supply Bill or Final Supply Bill has been presented to the President for assent and her or she has not signified
7008-502: The discretionary powers conferred on him or her by the Constitution. If the Tribunal is of the opinion that the bill does not have this effect, the President is deemed to have assented to the bill on the day after the day when the Tribunal's opinion is pronounced in open court . On the other hand, if the Tribunal feels that the bill does have the circumventing or curtailing effect, and the President either has withheld or withholds his assent to
7104-412: The doctrine of stare decisis ; other legal principles expressed that are not crucial to the final decision ( obiter dicta ) are only persuasive . As English courts do not form part of Singapore's hierarchy of courts, decisions of such courts are not binding on Singapore courts. However, as a result of Singapore's colonial heritage, English judicial precedents continue to exercise a strong influence on
7200-402: The executive branch of government. Although the President acts in their own personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check on the Cabinet and Parliament of Singapore, they are otherwise required to act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet. It is the Cabinet that has the general direction and control of
7296-408: The force of law unless they are recognized in a case. "Legal" or "trade" customs are not given recognition as law unless they are certain and not unreasonable or illegal. In Singapore, custom is a minor source of law as not many customs have been given judicial recognition. Legislation, or statutory law , can be divided into statutes and subsidiary legislation. Statutes are written laws enacted by
7392-525: The legal system and are regarded as highly persuasive, particularly as regards the development of the common law, and the interpretation of English statutes applicable in Singapore and Singapore statutes modelled on English enactments. Judicial precedents from other jurisdictions may also be persuasive in specific areas of Singapore law. For instance, Indian decisions are persuasive in the areas of criminal law and procedure because Singapore borrowed heavily from India in these areas. The Constitution provides that
7488-417: The legislature, but by previous generations of judges. Major portions of Singapore law, particularly contract law , equity and trust law , property law and tort law , are largely judge-made, though certain aspects have now been modified to some extent by statutes. A custom is an established practice or course of behaviour that is regarded by the persons engaged in the practice as law. Customs do not have
7584-511: The minister, the board is required to appoint a chief executive officer who is responsible to the Board for the proper administration and management of the Board's affairs in accordance with the policy laid down by the Board. The board is entitled to appoint employees and officers on such terms as to remuneration or otherwise as it may determine, and to engage other persons and pay for their services as it considers necessary for carrying out its functions and duties. The People's Association (PA)
7680-606: The only local series of law reports published continuously since the 1930s, except during World War II. The MLJ is still consulted for Singapore cases decided prior to full independence in 1965. Since 1992, judgments of the High Court, Court of Appeal and Constitutional Tribunal of Singapore have appeared in the Singapore Law Reports (SLR), which is published by the Singapore Academy of Law under an exclusive licence from
7776-513: The orderly development of legal principles are promoted by the application of the doctrine of stare decisis , also known as the doctrine of binding precedent. According to this doctrine, the decisions of higher courts are binding on lower courts. Thus, judgments of the Court of Appeal are binding on the High Court , and judgments of both of these superior courts are binding on subordinate courts. A judge
7872-473: The past. Statutes enacted by these other bodies may still be in force if they have not been repealed . One particularly important statute is the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore , which is the supreme law of Singapore. Any law the Legislature enacts after the commencement of the Constitution that is inconsistent with it is, to the extent of the inconsistency, void. Subsidiary legislation , also known as "delegated legislation" or "subordinate legislation",
7968-401: The people of Singapore; and advising the PA on matters affecting the well-being of residents in districts, the provision and use of public facilities and services within districts, and the use of public funds allocated to districts for community activities. Each CDC consists of a chairman and between 12 and 80 other members. Where the number of residents in a district is not less than 150,000,
8064-451: The performance of their functions. In addition, the Constitution provides that the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, may appoint Parliamentary Secretaries from among the MPs to assist Ministers in the discharge of their duties and functions. Such office holders are not regarded as members of the Cabinet. Where in any written law a Minister is empowered to exercise any power or perform any duty, he may, in
8160-565: The person most likely to command the authority of the assembly, and other ministers of the Cabinet on the prime minister's advice. In the 1959 general elections , the People's Action Party (PAP) swept to power with 43 out of the 51 seats in the assembly, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. The executive branch of the Singapore Government remained unchanged following Singapore's merger with Malaysia in 1963, and subsequent independence in 1965. The PAP has been returned to power in every general election and has thus formed
8256-794: The public service. In such urgent cases, the governor had to inform the council of the measures he had taken. During the Second World War , the Japanese Empire invaded Singapore; the Japanese were victorious and set up their own government for a few years. Following the Second World War, the Straits Settlements were disbanded and Singapore became a Crown colony in its own right. The reconstituted Executive Council consisted of six officials and four nominated "unofficials". In February 1954,
8352-465: The same sitting. Once most bills have been passed by Parliament, they must be submitted to a non-elected advisory body called the Presidential Council for Minority Rights (PCMR). The PCMR's responsibility is to draw attention to any legislation that, in its opinion, is a "differentiating measure", that is, one that discriminates against any racial or religious community. When the Council makes
8448-401: The views of interested groups or the public, are often referred to a select committee . This is a committee of selected MPs who invite interested people to make representations to the committee. Public hearings to hear submissions on the bill may be held. The select committee then reports its findings, together with any suggested amendments to the bill, to Parliament. The bill then goes through
8544-417: The withholding of assent, the President is deemed to have assented to the bill on the day immediately following the expiration of the 30-day period. Upon receiving presidential assent, a bill becomes law and is known as an Act of Parliament . However, the Act only comes into force on the date of its publication in the Government Gazette , or on such other date that is stipulated by the Act or another law, or
8640-677: Was established on 1 August 1993 with the enactment of the National Heritage Board Act. Section 3 of the Act states: "There shall be established a body to be known as the National Heritage Board which shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and shall, by that name, be capable of—(a) suing and being sued; (b) acquiring, owning, holding, developing and disposing of property, both movable and immovable ; and (c) doing and suffering all such acts or things as bodies corporate may lawfully do or suffer." The functions of
8736-457: Was introduced in 1877 by letters patent issued by the Crown , Composed of "such persons and constituted in such manner as may be directed" by royal instructions, it existed to advise the governor and wielded no executive power. The governor was required to consult the executive council on all affairs of importance unless they were too urgent to be laid before it, or if reference to it would prejudice
8832-505: Was ratified by Calcutta on 4 March 1825. Between 1819 and 1826, Singapore was headed by two Residents of Singapore in succession, Maj.-Gen. William Farquhar and Dr. John Crawfurd . In 1826, Malacca, Penang and Singapore were amalgamated into the Straits Settlements , which were made a Crown colony with effect from 1 April 1867. The colony was governed by a governor together with a legislative council . An executive council
8928-591: Was replaced by Lim Yew Hock . The following year, Lim led another delegation to the UK for further talks on self-government. This time, agreement was reached on the composition of an Internal Security Council. Other constitutional arrangements were swiftly settled in 1958, and on 1 August the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the State of Singapore Act 1958 , granting the colony full internal self-government. Under Singapore's new constitution which came into force on 3 June 1959,
9024-486: Was revested in the Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore. The Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 then vested the executive authority of Singapore in the newly created post of President, and made it exercisable by him or by the Cabinet or by any Minister authorised by the Cabinet. The PAP has been repeatedly returned to power by voters and has thus formed the Cabinet since Singapore's 1959 general election . The Government
9120-613: Was second only to New Zealand in the Asia-Pacific region. On the other hand, the Government has been criticised for using unfair election tactics, such as discouraging voting for opposition parties in the 2006 general election by stating that wards that elect opposition candidates will receive state-subsidized improvements to public housing only after all PAP-held wards have been attended to. It has also been accused of violating freedom of speech through Ministers bringing defamation suits against opposition politicians, and by restricting
9216-642: Was the Governor of Bencoolen (now Bengkulu , Indonesia ), entered into a preliminary agreement with the Temenggung of Johor , Abdul Rahman Sri Maharajah, for the British East India Company to establish a " factory " or trading post on the island of Singapore . This was confirmed by another agreement signed by Raffles, the Temenggung and Sultan Hussein Shah on 6 February. In June 1823 Singapore ceased to be
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