Singapore legislation
Clause 8
Clause 8
Prohibition orders against officials or members of religious group or institution
(1)
Where the Minister is satisfied that any priest, monk, pastor, imam, elder, office-bearer or any other person who is in a position of authority in any religious group or institution or any member thereof has committed or is attempting to commit any of the following acts:
causing feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony between different religious groups;
carrying out activities to promote a political cause, or a cause of any political party while, or under the guise of, propagating or practising any religious belief;
carrying out subversive activities under the guise of propagating or practising any religious belief; or
exciting disaffection against the President or the Government of Singapore,he may make an order against that person for the purposes specified in subsection (2).
(2)
An order made under subsection (1) may be made against the person named therein for the following purposes:
prohibiting him from addressing orally or in writing any congregation, parish or group of worshippers or members of any religious group or institution on any subject, topic or theme as may be specified in the order without the prior permission of the Minister;
prohibiting him from printing, publishing, editing, distributing or in any way assisting or contributing to any publication produced by that religious group without the prior permission of the Minister;
prohibiting him from holding office in an editorial board or a committee of a publication of that religious group without the prior permission of the Minister.
(3)
Any order made under this section shall be for such period, not exceeding two years, as may be specified therein.
(4)
Before making an order under this section, the Minister shall give the person against whom the order is proposed to be made and the head or governing body or committee of management of the religious group or institution which is to be named in the proposed order, notice of his intention to make the order and of their right to make written representations to the Minister and the Minister shall have regard to such representations in making the order.
(5)
All written representations under subsection (4) must be made within 14 days of the date of the notice of the Minister’s intention to make an order under this section.
(6)
The Minister may, before the expiration of an order made under subsection (1), direct that the period of such order made be extended for such further period or periods of not more than two years.