NAME

1. The Party is a Political Party known as WORKERS' PARTY

PRINCIPLES

2. The Party's guiding Principles are:-

(1) Merdeka
(2) Democracy (Parliamentary)
(3) Socialism

AIMS

3. (1) The elimination of man's exploitation of man

(2) The general recognition in practice of the basic equality of all human beings.

(3) Equalisation of opportunities for the individual for full and free development within the framework of respect for the rights of all.

(4) Racial equality in practice in all spheres of public activity and equal respect in law for all racial cultures.

OBJECTS

4. (1) To organise and maintain a political party to give effect to the three-fold principle of Merdeka, Democracy (Parliamentary) and Socialism.

(2) To seek the elimination of colonial exploitation of Singapore and its people.

(3) To secure and maintain in Singapore the establishment of a Government based on Parliamentary Democracy and Socialism.

(4) To seek the unity of the Workers of Singapore.

(5) To promote the political, social and economic and emancipation of the people of Singapore and particularly of the workers who depend directly on the exertion for their livelihood.

(6) To improve the food and living conditions of the workers to a standard compatible with human dignity and the exceptional wealth of Singapore.

(7) To co-operate with all and every lawful association where practicable for joint political and other action towards the achievement of the Party's aims and objects including organisations in other countries and international organisations and associations, and to seek in common with such organisations the promotion of peace and establishment and defence of basic human rights and the radical readjustment of existing social and economic standards on equitable human principles.

MEMBERSHIP

5. Membership in the Party shall be confined to Singapore citizens only above the age of 18 years who are not members of any other political party in Singapore and who subscribe to the principles, aims and objects of the Party.

6. No member of the Party shall be a member of any other political party in Singapore, and every member shall abide by the principles, the Constitution, the policies and the directions of the Party.

7. Every applicant for membership must be proposed by a member of the Party and the Executive Council may in its absolute discretion accept or reject or adjourn consideration of each application by simple majority of those present.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

8. Every member shall pay an annual subscription of $3/- and shall be deemed to be in good standing if he is not in arrears of subscription.

ORGANISING MEMBERS

9. The Executive Council may by simple majority of those present appoint any member of the Party who is a Singapore citizen to be an Organising Member.

10. Only Organising Members may elect, or be members of the Executive Council.

ORGANISATION

11. The Party Conference shall be the supreme authority enunciating the principles of Party policy.

12. The Conference of Organisers of the Party shall be the authority of the Party empowered to elect the Executive Council and by simple majority to deal with all matters of detailed policy, administration, membership, amendments of Constitution, and every other cognate matter affection the Party. The decisions of the Conference of Organisers are binding on all Party members.

13. The Executive Council shall have all the powers and authority of the Conference of Organisers and the Party Conference within the framework of directives received from these organs including the power to amend the Constitution.

PARTY CONFERENCE

14. (a) The Party Conference shall meet once in every two years and at such other times as the Chairman or Executive Council may decide.

(b) A Party Conference shall also be held on requisition by 20% of the membership of the Party in good standing.

15. The Agenda of the Party Conference shall include

(i) A Report from the Executive Council

(ii) Resolutions submitted or approved by the Executive Council.

CONFERENCE OF ORGANISERS

16. (a) The Conference of Organisers shall be preferably annually and at least once in two years.

(b) The Chairman of the Party, the Executive Council, or 10% of the Organising Members of the Party may at any time call a Special Conference of Organisers for specific purposes to be indicated.

(c) Only members of the Party who have been appointed Organising Members shall be entitled to be present at Conferences of Organisers and vote.

17. Every Conference of Organisers, other than a Special Conference, shall

(i) receive from the Executive Council the Report and Accounts of the work of the Party;

(ii) keeping in mind the need for genuine inter-racial co-operation and representation of the workers, elect an Executive Council of:
One Chairman
One Secretary-General and 12 other members of the Executive Council to serve until the next Conference of Organisers;

(iii) decide on any Resolutions which may be submitted or approved for consideration by the Executive Council.

CONVENING OF CONFERENCES

18. One month before the day fixed for a Party Conference or a Conference of Organisers (whether Ordinary or Special) the Secretary-General shall in writing send notices to all members of the Party eligible to attend, i.e. as regards Party Conferences all members of the Party in good standing including Organising Members, and as regards the Conference of Organisers, all Organising Members in good standing, informing them of the date, time and place fixed for the meeting, and thereafter, as soon as practicable he shall communicate to the said members a copy of the Agenda of the proposed meeting, including all resolutions tabled for discussion.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

19. The Executive Council of the Party shall be elected by the Conference of Organisers including the Chairman and Secretary-General, and shall consist in all of 14 members and may itself co-opt not more than 7 Organising members.

20. The Executive Council shall elect from its members one or more Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and such other officials as it deems necessary.

21. The Executive Council may nominate persons from the Organising Membership of the Party to fill vacancies within its body whether amongst the elected or co-opted members.

22. (a) The Executive Council, if satisfied that the conduct of any member is contrary to the principles or aims or objects of the Party or prejudicial to the welfare of the Party, may suspend or expel such member from any post in the Party, and demote him to the status or ordinary member if an Organising Member, and expel him from membership of the Party.

(b) The Executive Council, if satisfied that any Organising Member is in arrears of subscription and has not attended 2 consecutive meetings of the Conference of Organisers, may demote him to the status of Ordinary Member.

(c) Such member may at the next Conference of Organisers attend exclusively for purposes of submitting a resolution seeking to revoke the decision to suspend or demote or expel him, and the Conference may by simple majority of those present and voting either pass or reject that motion without debate. If passed, such member shall be re-instated as of the date of expulsion. If the motion is lost, such person shall at no time thereafter be admitted as a member of the Party.

23. The Executive Council may appoint and dismiss Committees whether standing or ad hoc with such terms of reference and regulations as it may direct, including the power to co-opt but without the power of delegation.

BRANCHES

24. (a) The Party may establish a Headquarters Branch, and not more than one main Branch, and as many subsidiary Branches as may be advisable in every electoral division in Singapore.

(b) The Executive Council shall draw up regulations for the establishment, management, and all other matters in connection with the Branches.

(c) All members shall be deemed to be attached to the Headquarters Branch if not attached to any existing Branch.

25. Members shall be deemed to be attached to the Branch formed in the area in which they reside, unless they opt in writing to be attached to another Branch.

GENERAL

26. A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the Party the moment a notice of his resignation in writing is received by the Secretary-General.

27. Only such person as may be specifically authorized thereto by the Executive Council may issue Press Statements in the name of the Party and give Press interviews.

28. The Executive Council may formulate, revoke or amend Standing Orders and Regulations for any appropriate purpose.

29. The ruling of the Chairman of the meeting as to the construction of this Constitution and every part thereof and as to the procedure to be adopted where provision is not made therefore shall be final and shall not be open to challenge.

30. Any person acting as Chairman, Secretary-General, Treasurer or any other post created by the Executive Council, shall have all the powers of the substantive holder of the post.

ELECTIONS

31. The Party may nominate members as candidates for election to public office, and each nominee shall be required to take a solemn oath or affirmation to support the three-fold principle of the Party, and to comply with Party discipline in major decisions of policy, and to be honest and frank in all his dealings with the Party and the people of Singapore.

STANDING ORDER OF THE PARTY

Any member of the Executive Council who has absented himself from three consecutive Executive Council meeting without being excused by the Executive Council, should be deemed to have resigned and shall fall to cease to be a member thereof, but without loss of any other privileges of the membership of the Party.

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