(This is a letter to Association members about our AGM)
Dear Babas and Nyonyas,
The 2020 Annual General Meeting
In my 30 March letter to you, I wrote that we would very likely have to postpone our Annual General Meeting (AGM) of 26 April to 28 June 2020.
I had also signalled to you, then, that we might have to postpone the AGM a second time. It had already seemed the Covid-19 situation in Singapore would drag into June.
The government on 19 May announced re-opening Singapore in three phases. In all three phases, rightly, it has said that seniors should continue to take care and that the size of gatherings will still have to be limited.
Clearly, Covid-19 is not going away until a cure or a vaccine is found. We will have to learn to live and work safely around it until then, taking clear cues from our government.
Your General Committee (GC) has therefore decided to postpone the AGM a second time.
This time, a virtual* AGM will be held on Sunday, 12 July 2020 at 2.00 pm. It will be based on the alternative arrangements allowed under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings for Registered Societies) Order 2020.
*A virtual meeting is a meeting with no physical location and is held electronically via an online meeting tool, such as Zoom.
This means the following:
Agenda of the AGM
- The business of the AGM will be to pass the following Resolutions:
- To receive and adopt the minutes of the AGM held on 31 March 2019.
- To receive and adopt the president’s report for the financial year ended 31 December 2019 (FY2019).
- To receive and adopt the audited accounts for FY2019.
- To elect new members of the General Committee pursuant to Rule 25(a)(ii) of the Constitution of TPAS.
- To elect an Honorary Auditor for the financial year ending 31 December 2020.
Nomination Forms
- Documents pertaining to Resolutions 1(a) to (c), mailed to you in March this year, will continue to apply.
- Nomination Forms in relation to Resolution 1(d) above received before 27 April 2020 will be accepted, subject to validation by the Honorary Secretary.
- Going forward, the attached Form #1-Nomination Form for the roles in the GC and Hon Auditor needs to be signed by the nominating member as well as the nominee. Nominees have to be members of TPAS for at least a year as at 1 January 2020 and not be in breach of any of TPAS’s Rules and By-Laws as at the date of the Nomination Form.
- The completed Nomination Form #1, together with the nominee’s passport size photograph as well as a CV of no longer than 300 words (both optional) must be emailed to the Honorary Secretary at secretariat@peranakan.org.sg or mailed to Raffles City P.O. Box 1640, Singapore 911755 latest by 2.00pm on 12 June 2020. An online version of Form #1 is also available at the end of this letter.
- The photos and CVs of the respective nominees for election will be posted on TPAS’s website and Facebook page as part of the pre-election announcement on 17 June 2020.
- Members who submitted the Nomination Forms before 27 April 2020 may withdraw them and submit new ones if they wish.
Attendance. Quorum & Conduct During Virtual AGM
- Members will not be able to attend the AGM in person because of the current Covid-19 restriction orders.
- Those wishing to attend the virtual AGM must complete Form #2 Registration attached below and email it to the Honorary Secretary at secretariat@peranakan.org.sg or mail it to Raffles City P.O. Box 1640, Singapore 911755 latest by 2.00pm on 26 June 2020. An online version of Form #2 is also available at the end of this letter.
- The AGM’s quorum will be counted based on the number of valid proxy forms received and the number of members attending the virtual AGM.
- Members may only attend the AGM by observing and listening to the proceedings by electronic means. Details of this will be shared only with members who pre-register to attend the AGM.
Right to Speak
- As the virtual AGM is not interactive, all substantial and relevant questions pertaining to the agenda of the AGM will be addressed by the GC via TPAS’s website and Facebook page before the AGM.
- If time permits, the Chairman of the AGM will read out the more substantive and relevant Qs & As during the AGM.
- All questions must be emailed to the Honorary Secretary at secretariat@peranakan.org.sg or mailed to Raffles City P.O. Box 1640, Singapore 911755 latest by 2.00pm on 26 June 2020 together with your name (as it appears in our records), mobile number and address to enable us to verify your member status.
GC Members and Hon Auditor Candidates List & Proxy (Voting) Forms
- The list of nominees for election for the roles in the GC and the role of Honorary Auditor for the term 2020-2022 and Form #3 Proxy will be posted on TPAS’s website and Facebook page and emailed on 17 June 2020 to members who have notified TPAS of his or her email address.
- Proxy forms received before 27 April 2020 will, subject to validation by the Honorary Secretary, be accepted. Those received after 27 April 2020 will not be accepted. Members who submitted proxy forms before 27 April 2020 may still withdraw them and submit new ones if they wish.
- Please be aware that members can only vote at the virtual AGM by completing and submitting Form#3 which will be disseminated on 17 June 2020. This means that voting must be done by proxy ONLY and there will NOT be any voting during the AGM proceedings.
- All submitted proxy forms will:
– By default, appoint the Chairman of the AGM as proxy.
– Have to be completed and emailed to the Honorary Secretary at secretariat@peranakan.org.sg or mailed to Raffles City P.O. Box 1640, Singapore 911755 latest by 2.00pm on 26 June 2020. - As voting will not be conducted during the AGM, the proxy (voting) forms received and validated will be counted and the results announced by the Chairman during the AGM.
GC Decisions Are Final
- All decisions taken by the GC with regards to the processes set out above will have been made in good faith and will be final.
Forms
Members can register to attend the Virtual AGM and submit their nomination forms here:
Online Forms
Form #1: Nomination Form
Form #2: Registration Form for Virtual AGM
Hard Copy Forms (PDF)
Form #1: Nomination Form PDF
Form #2: Registration Form for Virtual AGM PDF
In the meantime, we thank you for your understanding and patience and do continue to keep safe.
As each day passes, my wife Linda and I count our blessings and look to the hills with thanksgiving. May you continue to enjoy good health and peace of mind.
Blessings,
Colin Chee
Keeping the Culture Alive
29 May 2020