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SINGAPORE — If foreigners hold leadership positions in religious organisations or make donations to these organisations, there is a chance that they could impose divisive values here or even push for a political agenda which would undermine the Republic’s separation of religion and state.
To ensure there is little chance for such a scenario to play out, the Government is proposing nationality rules on top leaders of religious organisations, making it a requirement for them to declare donations from foreign sources as well as any affiliations, in a Bill to amend the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA).
Introduced in Parliament on Monday (Sept 2), the Bill, if passed, would require the top leadership positions — the president, secretary and treasurer — to be Singapore citizens or permanent residents, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a statement.
If the organisation is a company, this will affect the equivalent roles of a chairman, managing director and company secretary. The requirements do not apply to spiritual leaders who do not hold these formal positions in the organisation.
A majority of its governing body, such as its executive committee, must also be citizens.
Out of around 2,500 religious organisations here today, around 100 will not be able to meet this requirement, said the MHA. These include religious organisations that primarily serve expatriates and foreigners, such as the Korean Church in Singapore as well as several Catholic orders — the France-based Sisters of the Infant Jesus who established CHIJ Singapore in 1854 is one such example.
In its statement, MHA said some organisations may be granted exemptions from these leadership requirements on a case-by-case basis, such as if they have been “set up historically as cross-border organisations, and if the foreign leadership is not assessed to hold intentions or advocate views which would have an adverse impact on religious harmony in Singapore”.
MHA in response to queries from TODAY added that it has been engaging some of these organisations to inform them of the new requirements.
The MRHA, which safeguards Singapore’s religious harmony and stops religion from influencing politics, has never been used in its 29-year history.
If the Bill passes, there will be a grace period for religious organisations to fulfill these criteria. The exemptions will also not last in perpetuity and will need to be renewed and extended.
The proposed changes are aimed to protect inter-religious peace in Singapore, in a time when the rise of identity politics as well as the mixing of religion and politics have led to strife elsewhere.
Singapore, too, is not spared from the pitfalls of extremism and foreigners who could exploit religious fault lines here. In July, two men were detained under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related conduct, one of whom who had been in regular contact with the mastermind behind the Sri Lanka Easter bomb attacks.
DECLARING FOREIGN DONATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
The proposed changes also seek to enhance the transparency on the foreign funding of religious organisations, said MHA, but it will do so without being “unduly onerous”.
It proposed that religious organisations declare to the ministry any one-time donations of S$10,000 or more that are made by a person who is not a citizen or permanent resident.
A donation given to and accepted by the religious leader, which is not for his own use or benefit, will be deemed to be a donation to the religious organisation, said the MHA.
However, certain types of donations will be exempted, such as those given to donation boxes or collected during religious ceremonies, non-cash or anonymous donations, as well as zakat fitrah offerings for Muslims.
Donations from foreigners who are working and living in Singapore, such as work pass and long term visit pass holders, will also be exempt from this requirement.
If there is a threat to religious tolerance, or to public peace and order in Singapore, a restraining order can be meted out against a religious organisation that can restrict or prohibit it from receiving donations from specific or all foreign donors, and return these donations.
The restraining order can also target certain individual’s eligibility to hold office in the organisation, and require its entire executive committee to be Singapore citizens as well.
In addition, local religious organisations will also need to declare their affiliations to foreign individuals or organisations who are in a position to exert control over them. This includes foreign entities that religious organisations take guidance from, for example, how the Vatican gives guidance to the Catholic Church in Singapore.
The disclosure however is not meant to empower the Government to force them to dissociate from their foreign affiliations.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ligious-separation-politics-new-bill-requires
