What are the obligations of a religious group under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act?

(1) Religious groups will need to comply with the following leadership requirements –

a. The religious group’s Responsible Officers (i.e., President, Secretary and Treasurer, or their equivalent roles) have to be Singapore Citizens (SCs) or Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs); and

b. the majority of the religious group’s governing body have to be SCs.

(2) To enhance transparency on foreign funding, religious groups are required to disclose to the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures (RFPD)/MHA, any single-time donation of S$10,000 or more if they are not from SCs or SPRs, or a resident of Singapore who is prescribed as a permissible donor.

(3) Religious groups with affiliations to foreign individuals or organisations, who are in a position to exert control over them, will have to declare such affiliations to MHA. All declarations shall be verified by the Responsible Officers of the religious groups, and submitted to the MHA.

Please visit https://www.mha.gov.sg/what-we-do/managing-security-threats/maintaining-racial-and-religious-harmony and https://legisgov.agc.gov.sg/SL/MRHA1990-S862-2022 for more information.