GENERAL RULES OF THE HUMANIST SOCIETY (SINGAPORE)
1. General Rules (‘General Rules’) are set by the Executive Committee, who will implement it in parallel with the Constitution (‘Constitution’) of the Humanist Society (Singapore), (‘Society’).
2. The Executive Committee’s authority to set and modify General Rules is backed by 9.1, 9.6 and 14.1 of the Constitution.
3. The General Rules makes transparent the informal rules that the Executive Committee has been following in practice in the day-to-day administration. The General Rules do not supersede the Constitution, and must not be contrary to the Constitution.
4. The General Rules are as follows:
4.1 The Executive Committee will make decisions by consensus. Official views by the Executive Committee will be published in the name of the Society.
4.2 Society members, volunteers, and friends may form official group chats to stay in touch with one another. Participants should refrain from engaging in prolonged, extensive discussions. Any official group chats shall be used to:
- notify others about new events, public statements, and current affairs relevant to HSS
- pass short greetings or courtesy well-wishes and
- initiate queries that will be taken to a separate chat. The Executive Committee maintains the authority to moderate the Group in accordance with the General Rules.
4.3 It is recommended that individuals who wish to provide feedback on Society matters can send a message to info@humanist.org.sg. The feedback will be considered together by the entire Executive Committee.
4.4 Personal disputes between HSS members and volunteers should be settled outside the Society. If it is established that the dispute can affect the day-to-day administration and public standing of the Society, the individual can raise the dispute to the Executive Committee via info@humanist.org.sg.
4.5 Anyone can propose and organise a Society event. Events can be either virtual or physical. If you wish to organise an event, you can write in to info@humanist.org.sg or raise it on Facebook platforms related to the Society.
Once the event is approved by the Executive Committee, it will delegate a representative and publicise the event through the Society’s website and social media platforms.
Any physical event must:
- Adhere to any relevant safety precautions
- Be accompanied by a risk assessment and a wet weather plan if it is outdoor.
Category A – Social Events, Outings, Community Work
The following events in this category are by default approved if there’s no objection from the Executive Committee within three full days:
- Any social event, (eg. having meals together, sports activity, games activity)
- Any outing to a place of interest
- Any outing to a public talk, workshop, performance
- Any visit to an exhibition
- Any beach cleanup or community work officially organised by a registered charity, VWO, NGO
Category B – Public Speeches, Workshops, and Events involving Race, Religion and Politics
The following events in this category must still receive explicit approval by the Executive Committee:
- Any public talks organised or co-organised by HSS
- Any event content involving race, religion and politics
- Any other event not listed in Category A
In an event of unforeseen circumstances, the exco reserves the right to modify, postpone or cancel the event after approval.
4.6 In line with Clause 12.4 of the Constitution, “The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes,” Society’s members and participants should keep their activities, including chat group discussions, non-partisan.
4.7 Area of responsibility
The Humanist Society manages the following spaces: 1) any event announced on the HSS website, 2) any HSS-managed electronic mediums such as website content, social media, chat groups and email (/humanist.org.sg). The Society is not responsible for any private conversations outside the spaces we manage. Any disputes arising therefrom are solely your own.
