S’pore Rifle Association accepts national body’s offer for reinstatement as ordinary member, but disputes 2016 expulsion
Singapore Shooting Association president Michael Vas said the four legal lawsuits that SRA had lodged against the national sports association and its elected officers said “drained SSA’s hard earned cash reserves specifically earmarked for shooting programmes”.
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Rifle Association (SRA) has accepted the Singapore Shooting Association's (SSA) offer to reinstate it as a constituent ordinary member, thereby reversing its December 2016 decision to expel the SRA from the national body.
In a letter to its members published on its website on Wednesday (Sept 5), the SRA said: “Given SRA’s long history in shooting in Singapore, SRA remains committed to the promotion of the sport of shooting and remains willing to work with like-minded stakeholders.”
While SRA’s decision is good news for the fraternity, particularly as both parties have been locked in legal battles over the last two years, it appears that the disagreements between the SSA and SRA have yet to be resolved.
The SRA noted in its letter that it had been informed by the national governing body that its earlier expulsion had been revoked, pointing out that “the SSA’s only condition for SRA and its members to be accorded rights and privileges as an Ordinary Member of the SSA is for SRA to make payment of its annual membership fees”. It added that it would no longer be subject to a requirement — stated in SSA’s original offer — that the SRA refrain from initiating new lawsuits from Sept 1 onwards.
The SRA said that the national sports association’s Sept 1 statement had “superseded” the SSA’s Aug 30 letter listing the requirement, and that “there is no longer any requirement that the SSA and SRA agree not to bring new legal actions against each other (or its officers and employees)”.
SRA also added that it did not accept the validity of the expulsion as it was "unconstitutional… and/or in breach of the principles of natural justice".
Disputing the “alleged facts relied on by SSA" for the expulsion, the SRA said it could pursue legal action against the SSA on the matter. “For avoidance of doubt, SRA reserves all its rights in relation to challenging the validity of the expulsion resolution and pursuing its losses arising from the SSA’s expulsion Resolution at an appropriate juncture,” it said.
Responding to queries from TODAY, SSA president Michael Vaz said: “Since SRA has made it clear that it wishes to continue the legal battle, so be it. I will ask the council to take the moral high ground, and honour the announcement even though it was made in conjunction with the conditional offer made earlier.”
Mr Vaz, who is also president of the Singapore Gun Club, added that the “SRA was not expelled for no reason”, stating that the rifle association had allegedly refused to comply with security requirements from the police, and blocked SSA from complying with specific security provisions for the National Shooting Centre (NSC) at Old Choa Chu Kang Road.
He also pointed to the four lawsuits that the SRA had lodged against the national sports association and its elected officers, which he said had “drained SSA’s hard earned cash reserves specifically earmarked for shooting programmes”.
Mr Vaz said he is proposing that the SSA Council reinstate the SRA so that its members can license their guns, and avoid them being removed by the NSC if they are unlicensed. However, that would be subjected to approval by the council when they meet on Sunday to vote on the matter, he added.
The Singapore shooting chief said: “In the interests of the sport of shooting and our nation’s Olympic hopes, SSA offered a truce to allow SSA to concentrate its resources on bringing Olympic glory to our nation. SRA’s response clearly demonstrates that SRA does not share the same values and ambitions of SSA.
“SSA is convinced it was justified in expelling SRA for its actions against SSA and will vigorously defend all legal actions launched by SRA management.”
