Constitution of the Singapore Urological Association

1) Name
The Association shall be known as the Singapore Urological Association (referred to hereafter as the ‘Association’).

 

2) Place Of Business
Its place of business shall be at the Department of Urology, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608, or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies.

 

3) Objective
The objective of the Association shall be to promote and advance the specialty of Urology in Singapore.

 

4) Membership
Membership of the Association shall be in one of four categories:

• Honorary Member

• Full Member

• Associate Member

• Affiliate Member

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5) Eligibility
Honorary Members may be elected by the Executive Committee from men or women of distinction
The Honorary Member would have made outstanding contributions to the progress of Urology both in Singapore and abroad.

 

The Executive Committee may invite as Honorary Members any person who, in the opinion of the Committee, has rendered valuable services to the Association.

 

Honorary Members shall not be required to pay any Entrance Fee or Subscription Fee and shall have no voice in the management of the affairs of the Association.

 

The Executive Committee, prior to granting Honorary Membership, shall first propose the name at the Annual General Meeting, and upon the said Meeting accepting the proposal, the said Honorary Membership may be bestowed.

 

Full Members may be elected by application from registered Medical Practitioners who hold a recognised higher qualification in Surgery for 3 years and who have spent an approved period of specialised training in a recognised Urological Centre.

 

Each applicant shall be proposed and seconded by two Full Members of not less than three years standing. The application should be sent to the Honorary Secretary. Nominations for election as Full Member shall be made by the Executive Committee and it shall be by the votes of a simple majority.

 

Associate Members may be elected by application from registered Medical Practitioners who hold a recognised higher qualification in Surgery with an interest in Urology. The application should be sent to the Honorary Secretary. Each applicant shall be proposed and seconded by two Full Members.

 

Nomination for election as Associate Member shall be made by the Executive Committee and it shall be by a simple majority vote. They shall not hold office and shall not have voting rights.

 

Affiliate Members may be elected by application from university graduates with a recognised degrees in the Sciences and with an interest in Urology. The application should be sent to the Honorary Secretary. Each applicant shall be proposed and seconded by two Full Members.

 

Nomination for election as Affiliate Member shall be made by the Executive Committee and it shall be by a simple majority vote. They shall not hold office and shall not have voting rights.

6) Subscription
The Annual Subscription for Full and Associate Members shall be S$50.00. The Entrance Fee for Full Members shall be S$200.00 and nil for other categories of Members. The Life Membership fee shall be S$500.00 (non-refundable). The Annual Subscription may be subjected to review by the Executive Committee at regular intervals and at the Annual General Meeting of the members. Adoption of subscription changes will be by a simple majority vote.

 

The Annual Subscription is due on the first day of January of each year and is payable in advance. A member whose subscription is 12 months in arrears shall temporarily cease to be a member of the Association.

 

Reinstatement shall be possible with the consent of the Executive Committee after payment of the arrears.

 

A member may apply for waiver of subscription if he is absent from Singapore on an overseas posting. The period of absence should be 3 or more months and reinstatement of membership should commence within 2 months of his return. During his absence, the member will be classified under the category of ‘Absent Membership’.

 

7) Termination Of Membership
Any Member whose membership may be terminated by the Executive Committee, if the committee deems that:

 

A Member has been convicted of a professional misconduct offence.

 

A Member conducts himself/herself in a manner in either in writing, speech or behaviour that in the view of the Committee is prejudicial, injurious to the reputation or good standing of the Association.

 

A Member fails to pay his/her subscription for three consecutive years.

 

A Member leaves Singapore permanently, unless the membership is converted to ‘Absent Membership’.

 

8) Annual General Meeting
The management of the Association is vested in General Meeting of the members presided over by the President. The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for an Annual General Meeting to be held in the month of January of each year. The Agenda for the meeting shall be circulated at least two weeks before the date of the meeting. The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:
 

The previous financial year’s account and report of the Committee

The election of office-bearers for the following year

 

At least one-third of the Full Members shall form a quorum. In the event of there being no quorum, 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 alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules.

 

9) Extra-ordinary General Meeting
The President shall call an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting within 21 days of receiving a request signed by not less than one-third of Full Members and specifying the nature of the business.

 

The quorum for the Extra-Ordinary General Meeting shall be at least one-third of the Full Members. In the event of there being no quorum, 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 alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules.

 

10) Office-bearers
The Office-Bearers of the Association shall be the President, the Vice-President, the Honorary Secretary, the Treasurer and seven Committee Members. Together, they will form the Executive Committee. The Board of Trustees shall consist of an elected Chairman, three elected members and three co-opted members from the Executive Committee, they being the current President, Treasurer and Honorary Secretary of the Association.

 

The Office-Bearers shall be elected annually from amongst the Full Members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting. The Office-Bearers of the Board of Trustees shall be elected triennially.

 

The duties of the Office-Bearers are as follows:
 

The President shall act as Chairman at all General and Committee Meetings. He shall also represent the Association in its dealing with outside persons or organisations. The tenture of office of President shall not exceed three consecutive years.

 

The out-going President will remain as an ex-officio in the incoming Committee for a tenure of one year.

 

The President shall have a casting vote in addition to his own vote in the event of a tie.

 

The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputize for him in his absence.

 

The Honorary Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the Association and shall be responsible for their correctness. He will keep Minutes of all General and Committee Meetings. He shall also maintain a Register of Membership. He shall act as Secretary to the Board of Trustees.

 

The Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all monies on behalf of the Association and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. Cheques etc, for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the President or Honorary Secretary, in addition to the Treasurer. The tenure of office shall not exceed two consecutive years.

 

The Committee Members shall ordinarily attend all meetings and contribute to the management of the Association.

 

The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the administration of the Singapore Urological Association – General Fund (an account approved by the Ministry of Health under the Ministry’s Health Endownment Fund Decentralised Scheme) which is derived from the meetings organised by the Association.

 

11) Duties Of The Executive Commitee
The quorum for an Executive Committee Meeting shall be 5, one of whom is the President (or his Deputy), shall form a quorum at a meeting of the Committee. The meeting shall be chaired by the President or, in his absence, the Vice-President.

The Executive Committee shall meet at least 4 times a year and at such times as deemed necessary by the President for the conduct of the Association’s business. Notice of the meeting shall not be less than 7 days.

 

The Committee shall sponsor, delegate and appoint representatives to international conferences, congresses and meetings for which purpose the Committee may negotiate with Foundations for sponsorship.

 

The Committee may, at any time, in any form or manner, and for any amount, raise or borrow, for the purpose of the Association, any sums of money in such manner as they think fit. However, the Committee shall not incur any liability or otherwise, on behalf of its members, beyond the net asset value of the Association.

 

The Committee may appoint any individual member of the Association as a member of a sub-committee as may be deemed necessary for the management of the Association and confer to him such powers and duties as the Committee may decide.

The Committee may its discretion, issue statements to the press or grant interviews on matters pertaining to the Association. No individual member of the Association shall, except with the approval of the Committee, release statements or grant interviews on behalf of the Association.

 

The Committee shall be responsible to convene Annual General Meetings and/or Extra-Ordinary General Meetings as the circumstance deem necessary and in compliance with the other provisions of this Constitution.

 

The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the daily activities of the Association and to make decisions on matters affecting its running when the General Meeting is not sitting. It may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and always remain subordinate to the General Meetings.

 

The Committee may co-opt into the Committee, not more than 3 ordinary Members who, in their opinion, may be useful in the management of the Association.

 

Decisions within the Executive Committee at all meetings should be by a simple majority vote. In the event of a tie, the Chairman will have the deciding vote.

 

12) Audit
Two persons, not being members of the Executive Committee, will be elected at each Annual General Meeting and will hold office for one year only. They will be required to audit each financial year’s account and present a report to the Annual General Meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Association’s accounts for any period within their tenure at any date and make a report to the Committee. The Financial Year shall be from 1st January to 31st December.

 

13) Prohibitions
The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in court.

The Association 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.

 

The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not in the name of the Association or its office-bearers, committee of members unless prior written approval has been obtained from the relevant authorities.

The Association shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.

 

Gambling of any kind and the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Association’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad character into the premises is prohibited.

 

The Association shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Registrar of Societies and other relevant authorities.

 

The Association shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the prize or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or services, which adversely affects consumer interest.

 

14) Interpretation
Any matter of question arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the constitution will be referred to the Executive Committee who shall be empowered to use their own discretion.

 

15) Amendment Of Rules
The constitution shall be altered only by a vote of at least two-thirds of the full members of the Association present at a General Meeting and it shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.

16) Dissolution
The Association shall not dissolved except with the consent of not less than two-thirds of the Association for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.

 

In the event of the Association be ing dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Association shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds donated to charitable organisations which are registered under the Charities Act as the members of the Association may determine at a General Meeting.

 

A certificate of dissolution shall be given within 7 days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.