1. Title of Association:

The title of the Association is Mandarin Speakers Association, the official abbreviation of which shall be MSA (hereinafter referred to as the MSA).

2. Aims and Objectives

The Association is established to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland, in particular the Mandarin Speaking community, without disction of sex, race of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said inhabitants, the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance educaiton, especially in the heritage, culture, art, history and folklore of the Mandarin Speaking community, to preserve and protect health and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.

3. Membership

3.1 Any Mandarin speaker living in Northern Ireland who agrees with the constitution and is willing to pay for the member fees is legitimate to be the member of the Association.

3.2 All members have the right to be present at any of the Association's meetings and activities. Members aged 18 or over are entitled to the rights to vote and to be elected as the Chairman or the other member the Executive Committee (hereinafter referred as EXCO).

3.3 All members shall support the activities sponsored by the MSA. All members shall pay their membership fee, the amount of that is subject to the revision by the EXCO. The membership fee may be exempted if a member is in special financial difficulty.

3.4 Any member may terminate his or her membership at any time by noticing the Chairman (see Article 4) in written form. The membership is assumed to be terminated when a member leaves Northern Ireland.

3.5 Distinguished persons who may or may not be members of the MSA can be proposed by the EXCO to be elected as Honorary Members by the Association at the General Meeting. Honorary Members do not have to pay membership fees but cannot vote at any meeting nor are eligible for offices in the MSA.

3.6 Any other person, who agrees with the constitution and is willing to join the MSA, should have recommendations of at least one of the members and be ratified by the EXCO.

4. General Meeting

4.1 The General Meeting (hereinafter referred as the GM) shall be held every year in October and the elections will be every two years.

4.2 The agenda shall include: a) The annual report from the EXCO; b) The annual financial report; c) The election of a new Chairman and the other member the EXCO (every two years).

4.3 The nomination of the candidates of the new EXCO shall be completed and published a week before the election. The general decisive amount of votes in the GM is simple majority of attending members, with more than half of all members of the MSA attending the vote.

4.4 Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) can be called if half of all the members of the MSA agrees. The MSA constitution could be revised in the EGM. A "Vote of Distrust" against the Chairman may be put on the agenda of an EGM. The incumbent Chairman and the EXCO shall suspend to exercise their powers and a new Chairman and EXCO shall be elected if two-thirds of the members of MSA make votes of distrust against the incumbent Chairman.

4.5 The EXCO shall inform the members the agenda of the meeting at least 21 days before the GM or EGM.

5. Executive Committee

5.1 The administrating body of the Association is its Executive Committee, which is the supreme power structure of MSA. It consists of Chairman, vice-chairman, treasurer, general secretary, etc. The Chairman and EXCO are elected every two years in the General Meeting.

5.2 The Chairman is the head of the MSA and therefore represents the MSA in all relevant occasions. The Chairman convenes and chairs every meeting of the EXCO. The Chairman should give a work plan to all the members in two weeks after the election and an annual work report in GM.

5.3 Office bearers are responsible respectively for Information, Finance (the Treasurer), Entertainment, External Affairs, Chinese Education, and other activities.

5.4 The general secretary is in charge of the edition and publication of Newsletter of the MSA and the management of the Center of the MSA.

5.5 The Treasurer of the MSA is in charge of finance. Financial sources include membership fees, donations, grants and financial supports from organizations and individuals. At the GM, the Treasurer shall be responsible for reporting to the members the income and expenses of the MSA in the past year, as well as for publishing a balance sheet.

5.6. In order to further the objectives the EXCO may:

1. Employ any person or persons not being a member of the Executive Committee to supervise, organize and carry on the work of the MSA and make necessary arrangements regarding the Associaiton's legal obligations as an employer;

2. Arrange or assist in the arrangement of exhibitions, meetings, lectures, social events and activities, classes, seminars and training courses;

3. Raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or persons and organizations by way of subscriptions and otherwise;

4. Carry on trade only in order to carry out a primary objective of the MSA or which is incidental to the carrying out of the objectives;

5. Produce papers, books, periodicals, pamphlets or other documents or films or recorded tapes as shall further the objectives;

6. Purchase or take on lease or exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and any rights and privileges necessary for the promotion of such objects and construct, maintain and alter any buildings or erections necessary for the work of the MSA;

7. Subject to law, sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all or any of the property or assets of the MSA;

8. Accept gifts and borrow or raise money to further the objectives on such terms and on such security as shall be thought fit;

9. Develop links with other organizations and in particular other Chinese community groups and ethnic minority groups facing similar issues;

10. Bring together in conference representatives of voluntary organizations, government departments, statutory authorities and individuals to further the objectives of the MSA.

5.7 The Senior Treasurer shall be appointed by the EXCO each year to audit the account of the MSA. The Senior Treasurer shall not be liable for any debt or other obligations of the Association except personally authorized in writing.

5.8 Every member of the MSA has the right to supervise the EXCO, query the EXCO on what he cares. The EXCO shall publish each query and the answer.

6. Finance

The MSA is a non-profit organization. It welcomes and appreciates financial support from its members, other individuals and organizations, on the basis that there is no condition attached in conflict with the MSA constitution. The properties of the MSA belong to organization as a whole and are managed by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has the responsibility to take care of and the privilege to use the properties for the benefits of majority members. The Treasurer of the MSA Executive Committee maintains business accounts. Routine expenditures are decided by the Executive Committee and approved by the Chairman.

The MSA bank account should be a group account under the name of MSA. Withdraw of the money from the MSA account requires two signatures on the cheque including the Chairman or the Treasurer or any two of the office bearers.

The Executive Committee should submit an annual financial report to its members at the GM. The MSA financial account together with its properties should be transferred to the next Executive Committee within one month after election.

7. Activities

The Association organizes several types of activities:

8. Amendments

This constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution,setting out the terms of the alteration proposed. No amendment ,may be made which would have the effect of making the charity cease to be a charity at law.

9. Dissolution

9.1 The Association may be dissolved if two-thirds or more of the members of the MSA votes in favor of a proposal of dissolution raised by half of all the members of the MSA;

9.2 In the event of the Association being dissolved, the remaining assets of the Association are transferred to a society with similar objectives which is also a charity.