This is a story of how a person seeking to do some good here can
feel like a lab mouse in a maze.
Its a simple story, really. A group of friends and me wanted to
raise some funds from friends to donate to an organization working
to prevent blindness. Simple? Not quite. Apparently the
organization is a foreign charitable cause, legally speaking, and
we need a permit.
Ok, no problems after all, we have honorable intentions so it
shouldnt be a problem getting a permit right. Jeez, it appears
like we need some kind of proof of the foreign entity being a
bona-fide organization, an acknowledgment letter, its constitution,
and detailed information on the estimated expenses from the raised
funds. Wow, I wonder how spontaneous this international
organization raising hundreds of millions will be to our little
group hoping to raise a few thousand bucks. Well, we can still
try.
Oops, but it seems as though permits are not given to individuals.
If we want to avoid the legal implications associated with setting
up a company or a trust, we could set up a society. Oh wait, the
Registrar of Societies requires at least ten persons to set up a
society. And we need a place of business. Plus it cant be a HDB
flat, so well have to find some commercial location maybe. Wait a
minute, what business?
Sanity check to go through our with intention of raising say a
small sum of $3000, well need (i) ten people to form a society
(ii) a private house / rented commercial location to conduct our
business (iii) about $300-$400 in all to register the society and
get a permit (which incidentally accounts for 10% of the amount we
hope to raise), and (iv) about 1 month for all applications, or 3
months if we dont qualify under the Automatic Registration
process.
Great stuff. Our little group of friends was faced with the dilemma
of proceeding illegally (here in Singapore? No way), searching for
another cause to support or let our baby be stillborn.
Pardon all the seeming sarcasm, but I must admit to being
frustrated by the red tape. I mean, Im a rational educated working
class adult so I can understand the need for regulations and
controls, especially in the wake of the NKF saga. In fact, I
applaud it. Having donations from the public being misused is one
big turn-off for people willing to support a good cause. It also
taught people to be more conscious about where their donated funds
are going, reducing the opportunities for charlatans.
But were just asking friends to help. And we dont draw 600k a
year. In fact, we dont intend to take a single cent from the funds
raised. 3 main questions for the relevant authorities (i)
shouldnt the intensity of regulations be driven by the scale of
operations? Say, relax the requirements for having a place of
business, or better yet doing away with the need for permits for
fund raisings below a certain amount? (ii) Do we really need months
and a few hundred bucks to do something this small? (iii) It should
be possible to maintain a list of credible foreign charities that
wouldnt misuse our donations. Isnt it? Imagine the trouble they
have providing all such documentation to thousands of helpful teams
all over the world if all countries follows such legislation.
I wonder how many other groups of friends have faced such issues
before, and how much more they would have contributed if not bound
hands-and-legs by red tape. Just as importantly, in a time when the
Government is re-invigorating the nation to be increasingly engaged
and socially responsible, one cant help but question does it
have to be all so complex?
[The above has been sent to ST
Forum]
