Constitution
Clause 1: Name of Society
Clause 2: Operational Premises
Seksyen 5, 46000 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, MALAYSIA
or any other place or places as may be decided on from time to time by the Executive Committee. The operational premises and mailing address of the Society shall not be changed without prior approval of the Registrar of Societies.
Clause 3: Aims / Objectives
Clause 4: Membership
1. Membership of the Society is open to individuals of any nationality who are 21 years of age and above.
- Eligible members who have settled their subscription may apply to become life members
- The number of members for the Society is unlimited.
- All applications for membership should be sent to the Secretary-General, who is required to submit the applications as soon as possible to the Executive Committee for approval. The Executive Committee can exercise its own discretion in rejecting any application without giving reasons.
- An applicant whose application has been approved shall be accepted as a member of the Society upon payment of his/her membership fees, and shall thereafter exercise his/her rights as a member.
- In accordance with the Universities and University Colleges Act, no university or university-college student in Malaysia may be accepted to become a member of the Society without the prior written approval from the Vice-Chancellor concerned.
Clause 5: Membership Fees
1.The membership fee payable by members shall be RM100 (Ringgit Malaysia One Hundred).
2.The fee shall be payable to the Treasurer upon being notified that the application for membership has been approved by the Committee.
3.Members are encouraged to contribute to the Society voluntarily and with the approval of the General meeting, special fees or any other contributions may be raised from members for any activity or any specific project undertaken by the Society.
4.The Committee has the right to exempt any member from paying the membership fee if it is discovered that the member concerned is unable to pay the fee, or for any other reason that the Committee deems reasonable.
Clause 6: Notice of Termination
Clause 7: General Meeting
1.The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a Triennial General Meeting, which is held once every three years. At least one-half of the total voting membership of the Society or twice the total number of Executive Committee members, whichever is the lesser, must be present at the General Meeting for its proceedings to be valid and to establish a quorum for the meeting.
2.If there is no quorum after one hour of the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall be postponed to a date (not exceeding 30 days) to be decided by the Executive Committee; and if there is again no quorum after half one hour of the time appointed for the postponed meeting, the members present may proceed with the business of the day but they shall have no authorisation either to amend the Constitution or make decisions which are binding on the membership as a whole.
3.The General Meeting of the Society shall be held once every 3 years after the close of the financial year concerned and not later than 31st March, at the date, time and place determined by the Executive Committee. The General Meeting holds the highest authority in the administrative hierarchy of the Society. The duties of the General Meeting are:
- to receive the report of the Executive Committee on the working of the Society for the past three years
- to receive the Treasurer’s report and the audited financial statement for the past three years
- to set the policies and direction of the Society
- to deal with such other matters as may be put before it
- to elect fifteen Executive Committee members and two Auditors
4.The Secretary-General shall send a notice of the meeting to all members at least 90 days before the General Meeting. Copies of all required documents shall be made available to members at the operational premises of the Society.
5.An Extraordinary General Meeting may be held:
- Whenever the Executive Committee deems it desirable; or
- At the joint request in writing of not less than one-fifth of the voting membership, stating the objects and reasons for such meeting. The request shall be sent to the Secretary-General of the Society.
6.An Extraordinary General Meeting requisitioned by the members shall be convened on a date within 30 days of the receipt of such requisition.
7.The Secretary-General shall forward the Notice and agenda for the Extraordinary General Meeting to all members at least 14 days before the date fixed for the meeting.
8.Clause 7 (1) and (2) on quorum and postponement of the General Meeting applies to the Extraordinary General Meeting, with the proviso that if no quorum is present after one hour from the time appointed for the postponed meeting, the meeting may be cancelled at the request of the members. No Extraordinary General Meeting shall be requisitioned for the same purpose before the expiry of a full 6 months from the date of the Extraordinary General Meeting that was cancelled.
9.The Secretary-General shall send to all members a copy of the minutes of each General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting soon after their conclusion.
Clause 8: Executive Committee
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary-General
- Assistant Secretary-General
- Treasurer
- Ten (10) Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee
2.All office-bearers of the Society and every officer performing executive functions in the Society shall be Malaysian citizens. Non-Malaysian members are eligible to be elected as office-bearers and perform executive functions in the Society, subject to the approval of the Registrar of Societies.
3.A Sub-Committee made up of five members of the Society shall be elected by the Executive Committee to handle the nomination and election at the General Meeting. The names of all the nominees for the positions stated in Clause 8 (1) shall be proposed and seconded by at least two different members and they shall notify the Sub-Committee sixty days before the date appointed for the General Meeting. A member shall not propose her/himself or second the proposal of her/himself. A member should notify the Sub-Committee of his acceptance or rejection of the nomination at least 30 days before the General Meeting.
3A.Upon receipt of the nominations made by members, the Sub-Committee shall circulate to all members, the ballot papers containing names of candidates for the various positions contested in the Committee.
4. The election will be conducted either by post, or any other mode as determined by the Sub-Committee and all nomination forms shall be returned to the Sub-Committee at least seven (7) days before the General Meeting, or any other date specified by the Sub-Committee. The election result will be announced by the Sub-Committee on the day the General Meeting is held.
4A. All Executive Committee members shall serve for a period of three (3) years and are eligible for re-election at the next General Meeting.
5.The Executive Committee itself will hold its own meetings at least once a month. Notice of meetings shall be sent to the members of the Executive Committee at least 7 days before the meeting. At least 8 members of the Executive Committee must be present at the monthly meetings in order to conduct the meetings and fulfil the quorum.
6.The functions of the Executive Committee are to explain the general policies, which have been agreed upon by the General Meeting and make general plans to carry out those policies. The Executive Committee shall also execute the policies and oversee the daily work of the Society. The Executive Committee can make decisions with regard to the running of the Society in line with the general policies determined by the General Meeting. The Executive Committee shall not take any actions that are contrary to the decisions made by the General Meeting without first consulting the General Meeting and the Executive Committee must always abide by the decisions of the General Meeting. The Executive Committee must submit a report concerning its activities for the last three years to the General Meeting.
7.The President or the Secretary-General, acting alone, or at least 8 members of the Executive Committee can convene a meeting of the Executive Committee at any time.
8.If matters arise that require the approval of the Executive Committee and a meeting of the Executive Committee cannot be held, the Secretary-General can obtain approval from the members of the Executive Committee through a circular letter. The conditions stated below must be fulfilled before the decision of the Executive Committee can be considered valid:
- The issue must be clearly set out in the circular and forwarded to all members of the Executive Committee.
- At least one-half of the members of the Executive Committee must state their agreement or opposition to the suggestion(s) outlined.
- The decision must be made by a majority vote.
- Any decision obtained by circular letter must be reported by the Secretary-General to the next meeting of the Executive Committee to be approved and recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
9.Any member of the Executive Committee who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without valid reason will be considered to have relinquished his/her participation in the Executive Committee.
10.If a member of the Executive Committee dies or relinquishes his/her responsibilities, the Executive Committee can elect other members to fill the vacancy until the next General Meeting.
11.The Executive Committee can direct the Secretary-General to manage the Society and elect managers and staff who are considered important for the Society. He/She may suspend or sack any of the managers or staff for being careless, dishonest, or incompetent in their work, refusing to carry out the decisions of the Society, or for other reasons considered detrimental to the interests of the Society.
Clause 9: Duties & Responsibilities of the Office-Bearers
Clause 10: Finance
7.A prior written approval from the Minister of Finance shall be obtained to enable the society to undertake works of charity outside the country in accordance with the requirement of subsection 44(7a)(b) of the Income Tax Act 1967.
8.The society must spend in the subsequent year at least 50% (or any percentage agreed to by the Director General of the Inland Revenue Board) of the incomes and donations received on activities aimed at achieving its founding objectives.
9.Members of the board of trustees, staff, members of the society, its founder and their family members, shall not enjoy the benefits from the society. Those with power and position shall not use their power and position for their own interest.
10.The society may engage in commercial activities on condition that it utilises only 25% of its accumulated fund on the first day of the year of assessment. The income derived from its commercial activities shall be re-deposited in the fund to be used for purposes consistent with the objective of the society or for works of charity approved by the Director General of the Inland Revenue Board and the Registrar of Societies Malaysia.