Clause 8

The Attorney-General may, with the authority of the President, as soon as may be after the commencement of the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1979, cause to be printed and published a consolidated reprint of the Constitution of Singapore (S.I. 1963 No. 1493, G.N. Sp. No. S 1/63, No. RS(A) 14/66), as amended from time to time, amalgamated with such of the provisions of the Constitution of Malaysia as are applicable to Singapore, into a single, composite document to be known as the “Reprint of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, 1979”.(2) Thereafter, the President may, from time to time, authorise the Attorney-General to print and publish an up-to-date Reprint of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, incorporating therein all amendments in force at the date of such authorisation.(3) Any Reprint of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, printed and published pursuant to clause (1) or (2) of this Article, shall be deemed to be and shall be, without any question whatsoever in all courts of justice and for all purposes whatsoever, the authentic text of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore in force as from the date specified in that Reprint until superseded by the next or subsequent Reprint or until other provision is made by any written law.(4) In the preparation and compilation of any Reprint pursuant to clause (1) or (2) of this Article, the Attorney-General shall have, mutatis mutandis, the powers conferred upon the Commissioners by section 4 of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 1) in addition to the powers conferred on him by section 38 of the Interpretation Act (Cap. 3).(5) In the preparation and compilation of the consolidated Reprint pursuant to clause (1) of this Article, the Attorney-General shall have the power in his discretion —

to merge the existing provisions of both Constitutions, making thereto such modifications as may be necessary or expedient in consequence of the independence of Singapore upon separation from Malaysia;

to re-arrange the Parts, Articles and provisions of the Constitution of Singapore and of the Constitution of Malaysia in such connected sequence as he thinks fit, omitting inappropriate or inapplicable provisions in the latter Constitution;

where provisions exist in both Constitutions on the same subject matter, to include in the consolidated Reprint the provisions of the Constitution of Singapore on such subject matter and to omit the duplicated provisions appearing in the Constitution of Malaysia from the consolidated Reprint; and

generally, to do all other things necessitated by, or consequential upon, the exercise of the powers conferred upon the Attorney-General by this Article or which may be necessary or expedient for the perfecting of the consolidated Reprint of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.”.