Article 21-22G Constitution of Singapore 1963
Article 21, 21A, 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F, 22G among others, are under Chapter 1 (The President) of Part V of the Constitution of Singapore 1963. Part V is titled The Government.
Article 21 Singapore Constitution 1963
Discharge and performance of functions of President
(1) Except as provided by this Constitution, the President shall, in the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or any other written law, act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet.
(2) The President may act in his discretion in the performance of the following functions (in addition to those in the performance of which he may act in his discretion under the other provisions of this Constitution):
(a) the appointment of the Prime Minister in accordance with Article 25;
(b) the withholding of consent to a request for a dissolution of Parliament.
(3) [Deleted by Act 28 of 2016]
(4) [Deleted by Act 28 of 2016]
(5) The Legislature may by law make provision to require the President to act after consultation with, or on the recommendation of, any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of his functions other than —
(a) functions exercisable in his discretion; and
(b) functions with respect to the exercise of which provision is made in any other provision of this Constitution.
Article 21A Singapore Constitution 1963
General time limit for President to exercise discretionary powers
(1) In any particular case where this Constitution authorises the President to act in his discretion in assenting to, concurring with, approving, disapproving or confirming any matter, the President must signify his decision within the specified period —
(a) after his assent, concurrence, approval or confirmation is sought; or
(b) after he is informed of a proposed transaction under Article 22B(6), 22D(5) or 148G(1),
as the case may be.
(2) Subject to any reduction or extension under clause (3), the specified period for the purposes of clause (1) is —
(a) 30 days for the following matters:
(i) whether to concur with the introduction of a Bill to which Article 5A or 5B applies;
(ii) whether to assent to a Supply Bill, Supplementary Supply Bill, Final Supply Bill or a Bill to which Article 5C or 22H applies;
(iii) whether to concur under Article 22G with the making of an inquiry or the carrying out of an investigation by the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau;
(iv) whether to confirm under Article 22I a restraining order made under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990;
(v) whether to concur under Article 151(4) with the detention or further detention of a person; and
(b) 6 weeks in all other cases.
(3) In any particular case, the specified period in clause (2) may —
(a) if the Prime Minister certifies to the President at the time the President’s decision is sought or at any time thereafter that the case is so urgent that it is not in the public interest to delay a decision, be reduced to the period certified by the Prime Minister (which must not end less than 15 days after the date of the certificate); or
(b) be extended according to any agreement between the President, acting in his discretion, and the Cabinet.
(4) For the purposes of Articles 5C(1) and 22H(1), if a reference is made under Article 5C(2) or 22H(2), respectively, the time from the making of the reference to the tribunal’s pronouncement of its opinion is not counted towards the specified period.
(5) If in any particular case the President fails to signify his decision within the specified period, the President is deemed to have, at the end of that period —
(a) subject to paragraph (c), given the assent, concurrence, approval or confirmation sought in that case;
(b) in a case under Article 22B(7), 22D(6) or 148G(2), declined to disapprove the proposed transaction that the President was informed of; or
(c) in a case under Article 22G, refused to concur with the making of an inquiry or the carrying out of an investigation by the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau,
as the case may be.
(6) This Article does not apply to the President’s discretion under this Constitution to withhold consent to a request for a dissolution of Parliament.
Article 22 Singapore Constitution 1963
Appointment of public officers, etc.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, the President, acting in his discretion, may refuse to make an appointment to any of the following offices or to revoke any such appointment if he does not concur with the advice or recommendation of the authority on whose advice or recommendation he is, by virtue of that other provision of this Constitution or any other written law, to act:
(a) the Chief Justice, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the Appellate Division, Judges of the High Court, Judicial Commissioners, Senior Judges and International Judges;
(b) the Attorney-General;
(c) the Chairman and members of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights;
(d) the chairman and members of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony constituted under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990;
(e) the chairman and members of an advisory board constituted for the purposes of Article 151;
(f) the Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, and the members of a personnel board established under Article 110D to exercise any power over Division I officers;
(fa) a member of the Judicial Service Commission (other than the President and the Vice‑President of that Commission) and a member of a personnel board established under Article 111I;
[Act 32 of 2021 wef 14/01/2022]
(fb) a member of the Legal Service Commission (other than the President and the Vice‑President of that Commission) and a member of a personnel board established under Article 111Q;
[Act 32 of 2021 wef 14/01/2022]
(g) the Chief Valuer;
(h) the Auditor-General;
(i) the Accountant-General;
(j) the Chief of Defence Force;
(k) the Chiefs of the Air Force, Army and Navy;
(l) a member (other than an ex-officio member) of the Armed Forces Council established under the Singapore Armed Forces Act 1972;
(m) the Commissioner of Police; and
(n) the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.
Article 22A Singapore Constitution 1963
Appointment of members of statutory boards
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution —
(a) where the President is authorised by any written law to appoint the chairman, member or chief executive officer of any statutory board to which this Article applies, the President, acting in his discretion, may refuse to make any such appointment or to revoke such appointment if he does not concur with the advice or recommendation of the authority on whose advice or recommendation he is required to act; or
(b) in any other case, no appointment to the office of chairman, member or chief executive officer of any statutory board to which this Article applies and no revocation of such appointment shall be made by any appointing authority unless the President, acting in his discretion, concurs therewith.
(2) (a) The chairman or member of a statutory board to which this Article applies shall be appointed for a term not exceeding 3 years and shall be eligible for reappointment.
(b) Any appointment to the office of chairman, member or chief executive officer of a statutory board under clause (1)(b) or any revocation thereof shall be void if made without the concurrence of the President.
(3) This Article shall apply to the statutory boards specified in Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule.
(4) Subject to clause (5), the President acting in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet may, by order published in the Gazette, add any other statutory board to Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule; and no statutory board shall be removed from that Part by any such order.
(5) No statutory board shall by order under clause (4) be added to Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule if the total value of the reserves of the statutory board on the date of making of such order is less than $500 million.
Article 22B Singapore Constitution 1963
Budgets of statutory boards
(1) Every statutory board to which Article 22A applies shall —
(a) before the commencement of its financial year, present to the President for his approval its budget for that financial year, together with a declaration by the chairman and the chief executive officer of the statutory board whether the budget when implemented is likely to draw on the reserves which were not accumulated by the statutory board during the current term of office of the Government;
(b) present to the President for his approval every supplementary budget for its financial year together with a declaration referred to in paragraph (a) relating to such supplementary budget; and
(c) within 6 months after the close of that financial year, present to the President —
(i) a full and particular audited statement showing the revenue received and expenditure incurred by the statutory board during that financial year;
(ii) as far as practicable, an audited statement of the assets and liabilities of the statutory board at the end of that financial year; and
(iii) a declaration by the chairman and the chief executive officer of the statutory board whether the statements referred to in sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii) show any drawing on the reserves which were not accumulated by the statutory board during the current term of office of the Government.
(2) The President, acting in his discretion, may refuse to approve any budget or supplementary budget of any such statutory board if, in his opinion, the budget is likely to draw on reserves which were not accumulated by the statutory board during the current term of office of the Government, except that if he approves any such budget notwithstanding his opinion that the budget is likely to so draw on those reserves, the President shall cause his opinion to be published in the Gazette.
(3) Where by the first day of the financial year of such statutory board the President has not approved its budget for that financial year, the statutory board —
(a) shall, within 3 months of the first day of that financial year, present to the President a revised budget for that financial year together with the declaration referred to in clause (1); and
(b) may, pending the decision of the President, incur expenditure not exceeding one-quarter of the amount provided in the approved budget of the statutory board for the preceding financial year,
and if the President does not approve the revised budget, the statutory board may during that financial year incur total expenditure not exceeding the amount provided in the approved budget of the statutory board for the preceding financial year; and the budget for the preceding financial year shall have effect as the approved budget for that financial year.
(4) Any amount expended during a financial year under clause (3)(b) shall be included in any revised budget subsequently presented to the President under that clause for that financial year.
(5) Nothing in this Article shall prevent the taking of any action by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in the management of the Singapore dollar; and a certificate under the hand of the chairman of the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore shall be conclusive evidence that any action was or was not taken for such purpose.
(6) It shall be the duty of every statutory board and its chief executive officer to which this Article applies to inform the President of any proposed transaction of the statutory board which is likely to draw on the reserves accumulated by the statutory board prior to the current term of office of the Government.
(7) Where the President has been so informed under clause (6) of any such proposed transaction, the President, acting in his discretion, may disapprove the proposed transaction, except that if he does not disapprove any such proposed transaction even though he is of the opinion that the proposed transaction is likely to draw on the reserves accumulated by the statutory board prior to the current term of office of the Government, the President shall cause his decision and opinion to be published in the Gazette.
(8) Where after 30 November 1991 a statutory board is specified in Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule pursuant to an order made under Article 22A(4), any reference in this Article to the approved budget of a statutory board for the preceding financial year shall, in relation to the first-mentioned statutory board, be read as a reference to the budget for the financial year of the first‑mentioned statutory board during which that order was made.
(9) For the purposes of this Article, a proposed transfer or transfer (whether by or under any written law or otherwise) by any statutory board to which this Article applies (referred to in this clause and clause (10) as the transferor board) of any of its reserves to —
(a) the Government;
(b) any Government company specified in Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule (referred to in this clause and clause (10) as the transferee company); or
(c) another such statutory board (referred to in this clause and clause (10) as the transferee board),
shall not be taken into account in determining whether the reserves accumulated by the transferor board before the current term of office of the Government are likely to be or have been drawn on if —
(i) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor board to the Government — the Minister responsible for finance undertakes in writing to add those reserves of the transferor board to the reserves accumulated by the Government before its current term of office;
(ii) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor board to a transferee company — the board of directors of the transferee company by resolution resolves that those reserves of the transferor board shall be added to the reserves accumulated by the transferee company before the current term of office of the Government; or
(iii) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor board to a transferee board — the transferee board by resolution resolves, or any written law provides, that those reserves of the transferor board shall be added to the reserves accumulated by the transferee board before the current term of office of the Government.
(10) Any reserves transferred by a transferor board together with or under any undertaking, resolution or written law referred to in clause (9) shall be deemed to form part of the reserves accumulated by the Government, transferee company or (as the case may be) transferee board before the current term of office of the Government as follows:
(a) where the budget of the transferor board for any financial year provides for the proposed transfer of reserves and the budget is approved by the President — at the beginning of that financial year;
(b) where a supplementary budget of the transferor board provides for the proposed transfer and the supplementary budget is approved by the President — on the date of such approval by the President; or
(c) in any other case — on the date those reserves are so transferred.
Article 22C Singapore Constitution 1963
Appointment of directors of Government companies
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of the memorandum and articles of association of the company, the appointment or removal of any person as a director or chief executive officer of any Government company to which this Article applies shall not be made unless the President, acting in his discretion, concurs with such appointment or removal.
(2) (a) A director of a Government company to which this Article applies shall be appointed for a term not exceeding 3 years and shall be eligible for reappointment.
(b) Any appointment or removal of any director or chief executive officer of a Government company to which this Article applies without the concurrence of the President shall be void and of no effect.
(3) This Article shall apply to the Government companies specified in Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule.
(4) Subject to clause (5), the President acting in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet may, by order published in the Gazette, add any other Government company to Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule; and no Government company shall be removed from that Part by any such order.
(5) No Government company shall by order under clause (4) be added to Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule unless on the date of making of such order —
(a) the value of the share holders’ funds of the company attributable to the Government’s interest in the company is worth $500 million or more; and
(b) it is not a subsidiary of any of the Government companies specified in Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule; and for the purposes of this paragraph, “subsidiary” shall have the same meaning as in the Companies Act 1967.
Article 22D Singapore Constitution 1963
Budgets of Government companies
(1) The board of directors of every Government company to which Article 22C applies shall —
(a) before the commencement of its financial year, present to the President for his approval its budget for that financial year, together with a declaration by the chairman of the board of directors and the chief executive officer of the Government company whether the budget when implemented is likely to draw on the reserves which were not accumulated by the Government company during the current term of office of the Government;
(b) present to the President for his approval every supplementary budget for its financial year together with a declaration referred to in paragraph (a) relating to such supplementary budget; and
(c) within 6 months after the close of that financial year, present to the President —
(i) a full and particular audited profit and loss account showing the revenue collected and expenditure incurred by the Government company during that financial year, and an audited balance-sheet showing the assets and liabilities of the Government company at the end of that financial year; and
(ii) a declaration by the chairman of the board of directors and the chief executive officer of the Government company whether the audited profit and loss account and balance-sheet of the Government company show any drawing on the reserves which were not accumulated by the Government company during the current term of office of the Government.
(2) The President, acting in his discretion, may disapprove the budget or supplementary budget of any such Government company if, in his opinion, the budget is likely to draw on reserves which were not accumulated by that company during the current term of office of the Government, except that if he approves any such budget notwithstanding his opinion that the budget is likely to so draw on those reserves, the President shall cause his opinion to be published in the Gazette.
(3) Where by the first day of the financial year of such Government company the President has not approved its budget for that financial year, the Government company —
(a) shall, within 3 months of the first day of that financial year, present to the President a revised budget for that financial year together with the declaration referred to in clause (1); and
(b) may, pending the decision of the President, incur expenditure not exceeding one-quarter of the amount provided in the approved budget of the Government company for the preceding financial year,
and if the President does not approve the revised budget, the Government company may during that financial year incur a total expenditure not exceeding the amount provided in the approved budget of the Government company for the preceding financial year; and the budget for the preceding financial year shall have effect as the approved budget for that financial year.
(4) Any amount expended during a financial year under clause (3)(b) shall be included in any revised budget subsequently presented to the President under that clause for that financial year.
(5) It shall be the duty of the board of directors and the chief executive officer of every Government company referred to in this Article to inform the President of any proposed transaction of the company which is likely to draw on the reserves accumulated by the company prior to the current term of office of the Government.
(6) Where the President has been so informed under clause (5) of any such proposed transaction, the President, acting in his discretion, may disapprove the proposed transaction, except that if he does not disapprove any such proposed transaction even though he is of the opinion that the proposed transaction is likely to draw on the reserves accumulated by the Government company prior to the current term of office of the Government, the President shall cause his decision and opinion to be published in the Gazette.
(7) Where after 30 November 1991 a Government company is specified in Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule pursuant to an order made under Article 22C(4), any reference in this Article to the approved budget of a Government company for the preceding financial year shall, in relation to the first-mentioned Government company, be read as a reference to the budget for the financial year of the first‑mentioned Government company immediately preceding the making of that order.
(8) For the purposes of this Article, a proposed transfer or transfer by any Government company to which this Article applies (referred to in this clause and clause (9) as the transferor company) of any of its reserves to —
(a) the Government;
(b) any statutory board specified in Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule (referred to in this clause and clause (9) as the transferee board); or
(c) another such Government company (referred to in this clause and clause (9) as the transferee company),
shall not be taken into account in determining whether the reserves accumulated by the transferor company before the current term of office of the Government are likely to be or have been drawn on if —
(i) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor company to the Government — the Minister responsible for finance undertakes in writing to add those reserves of the transferor company to the reserves accumulated by the Government before its current term of office;
(ii) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor company to a transferee board — the transferee board by resolution resolves that those reserves of the transferor company shall be added to the reserves accumulated by the transferee board before the current term of office of the Government; or
(iii) in the case of a proposed transfer or transfer of reserves by a transferor company to a transferee company — the board of directors of the transferee company by resolution resolves that those reserves of the transferor company shall be added to the reserves accumulated by the transferee company before the current term of office of the Government.
(9) Any reserves transferred by a transferor company together with or under any undertaking or resolution referred to in clause (8) shall be deemed to form part of the reserves accumulated by the Government, transferee board or (as the case may be) transferee company before the current term of office of the Government as follows:
(a) where the budget of the transferor company for any financial year provides for the proposed transfer of reserves and the budget is approved by the President — at the beginning of that financial year;
(b) where a supplementary budget of the transferor company provides for the proposed transfer of reserves and the supplementary budget is approved by the President — on the date of such approval by the President; or
(c) in any other case — on the date those reserves are so transferred.
Article 22E Singapore Constitution 1963
Moneys of the Central Provident Fund
The President, acting in his discretion, may withhold his assent to any Bill passed by Parliament which provides, directly or indirectly, for varying, changing or increasing the powers of the Central Provident Fund Board to invest the moneys belonging to the Central Provident Fund.
Article 22F Singapore Constitution 1963
President’s access to information
(1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution, the President shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning —
(a) the Government which is available to the Cabinet; and
(b) any statutory board or Government company to which Article 22A or 22C, as the case may be, applies which is available to the members of the statutory board or the directors of the Government company.
(2) The President may request —
(a) any Minister, or any senior officer of a Ministry or of a department of the Government; or
(b) the chief executive officer and any member of the governing board of any statutory board or the directors of any Government company to which Article 22A or 22C, as the case may be, applies, to furnish any information referred to in clause (1) concerning the reserves of the Government, the statutory board or Government company, as the case may be, and the Minister, member, officer or director concerned shall be under a duty to provide the information.
Article 22G Singapore Constitution 1963
Concurrence of President for certain investigations
Notwithstanding that the Prime Minister has refused to give his consent to the Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau to make any inquiries or to carry out any investigations into any information received by the Director touching upon the conduct of any person or any allegation or complaint made against any person, the Director may make such inquiries or carry out investigations into such information, allegation or complaint if the President, acting in his discretion, concurs therewith.
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