Statutes

THE STATUTES OF THE ASIAN COMPOSERS LEAGUE

Article I

The Asian Composers League (thereafter referred to as the League in these Statutes) has been founded as an independent non-commercial, non-profit, non-racial, and non-political organization.

Article II

MISSION

The Mission of the League is:

    1. To promote, preserve, and develop the musical cultures of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the field of music composition; and
    2. To provide professional development opportunities for composers in the Asia-Pacific region by facilitating networking, communications, collaboration, critique and interaction between members; and
    3. To raise the public profile of composers in the Asia-Pacific region by showcasing its music through regular ACL Festivals, Conferences and Events

Article III

LIFE OF THE LEAGUE

No term is set to the life of the League.

Article IV

HEADQUARTERS

The location of the headquarters of the League will be decided by the General Assembly, taken by a two-thirds majority vote.

Article V

MEMBERSHIP

There shall be four categories of membership in the League, which are further subdivided into the Voting and Non-voting members.

Voting Members

    1. Full Members: Any composers’ organization which satisfies all of the following criteria and is approved by the Executive Committee:
      1. It must be a bona fide organization in its respective locality.
      2. It must have a proven history of active existence for at least three years at the time of application.
      3. Its objectives must be in conformity with those of the League.
      4. It must be substantially representative of the composers active in its locality.
    2. A Full Member shall endeavor to promote the music of other Asia-Pacific composers through performances and other relevant activities in its locality.

Non-voting Members

    1. Individual Members: Any composer not necessarily affiliated with existing Full Members of the League can be accepted as an individual Member upon approval by the Executive Committee
    2. Honorary Members: Individuals with significant contributions to the League and to Asian music in general may be recognized by an Honorary Membership upon resolution of the General Assembly. Nominations for Honorary Membership must be made to the Executive Committee no less than two months in advance of a General Assembly.
    3. Associate Members: Any organization who can demonstrate its capacity to contribute to and uphold the objectives of the League can be accepted as an Associate Member upon the decision of the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority vote of all Voting Members present.

Article VI

SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership may be withdrawn or terminated
  2. Any member may declare their withdrawal from the League by giving notice which shall take effect immediately
    1. The declaration of withdrawal shall indicate the reasons for the withdrawal and be sent to the Secretary General.
    2. Upon the effective date of the withdrawal, the member who has withdrawn shall lose all rights arising from membership to the League.
  3. Any Individual Member may be excluded from the League if the member fails to pay membership fees for over one year
  4. Any Full or Associate Member may be suspended from the League upon decision of the General Assembly if:
    1. the member fails to pay membership fees for over two years.
  5. Any Full or Associate Member may be excluded from the League upon decision of the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority vote of all Voting Members present if, despite a written warning and an appropriate period of grace, the member:
    1. has been suspended for over two years; or
    2. has, over the preceding two years, demonstrably failed to continue to meet the Membership Criteria outlined in Article V
  6. Instead of exclusion, the General Assembly may convert the status of a Full Member to an Associate Member, if this is deemed an appropriate course of action.
  7. Honorary Membership is usually granted in perpetuity. Only in extreme circumstances can it be terminated through a unanimous decision of all Voting Members present at any one General Assembly. A proposal to terminate an Honorary Membership can only be submitted by the collective decision of the Executive Committee.

Article VII

MEMBERSHIP FEES

    1. Fees for different categories of membership shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Assembly.
    2. The host member of a current ACL Conference-Festival will be exempted from membership dues for the year concerned.

Article VIII

ORGANS

    1. The Organs of the League shall be the General Assembly and the Executive Committee.

Article IX

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

    1. The General Assembly shall consist of all the members of the League.
    2. The Regular General Assembly shall meet as often as it is possible for a member to host such meetings. However, an effort shall be made to ensure that at least 18 months and no more than 24 months shall elapse between two General Assemblies. Each Regular General Assembly shall be convened by the Executive Committee by means of written notice of meeting to all members at least six months in advance.
    3. The General Assembly shall be presided over by the Chairman of the Executive Committee or any member of the Executive Committee as delegated by the Chairman.
    4. The Chairman of the General Assembly opens and closes the meetings. He or she directs the discussions, calls upon speakers, puts questions to the vote, and announces decision. He or she gives a ruling on points of order and supervises the debates of each meeting.
    5. Individual, Honorary, and Associate Members may take part in official deliberations.
    6. Observers (non-members) may be invited to take part in the debates of the General Assembly. The Executive Committee has the right to ask such observers to leave the meeting if the majority of members so desire.
    7. The official language for the proceedings of the General Assembly shall be English. All documents shall be circulated in that language.
    8. Only Full Members are Voting Members in any General Assembly. Each Full Member is represented at a General Assembly by a Chief Delegate, who is elected or appointed by the organization he/she represents. The Chief Delegate shall act as a liaison person between the League and the member organization he/she represents to ensure effective communication and collaboration between the member organizations and the League.
    9. Any Full Member unable to be represented in any session of the General Assembly may give a proxy to any other member (voting or non-voting of the Assembly to vote on questions on the Agenda. To that end, the Full Member shall address a letter to the Chairman indicating the name of the member of the Assembly to whom they have delegated their voting powers.
    10. Each Voting Member has one single vote unless carrying a proxy under Paragraph 9 above. No member shall carry more than one proxy at any one time during a General Assembly.
    11. Voting Members who have not paid their membership dues for the past two years shall not be entitled to vote.
    12. In case of a tie, the Chairman of the General Assembly shall cast an additional deciding vote.
    13. In case of supplementary propositions to be voted upon, the vote shall be taken on these before the main proposition is dealt with.
    14. Before any voting other than the election of Executive Committee members is taken, the Chairman shall decide whether or not it is to be by secret ballot. If, however, a single Voting Member of the General Assembly requests a secret vote, that procedure becomes obligatory.
    15. If an amendment to a resolution or motion is proposed, a vote shall first be taken on the amendment. If there are several amendments to a resolution or to a motion, the Assembly shall first vote on the amendment which is furthest in content from the original resolution or motion.
    16. The General Assembly shall have a quorum only if, at its commencement, at least four members of the Executive Committee and five Full Members are represented. Should this quorum not be constituted after a delay of one hour, the Chairman shall be obliged to convene an Extraordinary General Assembly. Those present shall be notified verbally of the convening. Notice of such an Extraordinary General Assembly shall be given at least twenty-four hours in advance. The Agenda shall correspond to that of the aborted Regular General Assembly. At the commencement of such an Extraordinary General Assembly, any members thus present shall constitute a quorum.
    17. An Extraordinary General Assembly may further be convened any time upon the request of the Chairman, or upon request in writing by at least half of the Voting Members of the League. In the case where an Extraordinary General Assembly is requested by Voting Members, notice of meeting shall be given to all members by the Executive Committee at least one month in advance. Furthermore, if a quorum for such an Extraordinary General Assembly is deemed impossible, the Executive Committee can choose to conduct all resolutions of such an Extraordinary General Assembly, barring the dissolution of the League, by written referendum through correspondence.
    18. A Secretariat shall be constituted by the General Assembly to draw up the minutes of the General Assembly. The minutes shall contain a summary report of the discussions, the text of resolutions or motions adopted by the Assembly, and detailed results of voting. When approved by the Chairman, the minutes shall be sent to all members of the League.
    19. The following matters shall be solely the responsibility of the General Assembly:
      1. Acceptance and approval of the Chairman’s Report.
      2. Acceptance and approval of the Treasurer’s Financial Report.
      3. Ratification of the actions of the Executive Committee.
      4. Resolutions on motions submitted by members of the League.
      5. Resolutions on Guidelines for Organizing ACL Conference-Festivals, and on which country should host upcoming General Assemblies and ACL Conference-Festivals.
      6. Election of Honorary Members.
      7. Election of the Chairman and members of the Executive Committee.
      8. Amendments to the Statutes of the League.
      9. Resolutions on the matter of membership fees.
      10. Resolutions on the termination of memberships.
      11. Resolutions on the dissolution of the League and the disposition of the funds of the League upon its dissolution.

Article X

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

    1. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the day-to-day running of the League.
    2. The Executive Committee shall consist of one Chairman, one Vice Chairman, one Treasurer, and two other members, totalling five members. Furthermore, there shall be three ex officio positions consisting of the Secretary General, the immediate past Chairman, and the immediate past Vice Chairman.
    3. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the immediate past term shall be invited as ex officio members of the Executive Committee for the following term in an advisory capacity without voting rights.
    4. The Secretary General shall be appointed by the Chairman from either amongst the Executive Committee members or from amongst any individuals. In the former case, the Secretary General thus appointed still holds his or her capacity as a member of the Executive Committee; whereas in the latter case, the individual concerned will have no voting rights.
    5. The Treasurer shall be elected from amongst the Executive Committee members.
    6. Each of the other non-designated members of the Executive Committee shall take up responsible positions regarding various important functions of the League. The terms of reference of these tasks and the titles of these positions are subject to decisions by each term of the Executive Committee.
    7. The General Assembly shall elect the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and members of the Executive Committee. All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. There shall be separate nominations for Chairman and Vice Chairman, and collective nominations for the other three members of the Executive Committee. Three separate elections shall he conducted in the following sequence: a) Election of the Chairman; b) Election of the Vice Chairman; and c) Election of the other members of the Executive Committee.
    8. A candidate must obtain an absolute majority of votes in order to be elected. In case such a majority is not achieved in the first instance, voting must be repeated. However, upon the third time of such voting, a relative majority will be considered sufficient to qualify an election.
    9. Only Individual, Associate, or Honorary Members, or members of a Full Member, are eligible for election to the Executive Committee, and may hold any position therein if so elected by the General Assembly. Furthermore, each of the five voting members of the Executive Committee must be of a different nationality. A member of the Executive Committee serves in his/her personal capacity only. While observers are allowed to attend any Executive Committee meeting if recommended by a member and approved by the Chairman, no proxy is permitted in any deliberations of the Executive Committee.
    10. There shall be an election of the Executive Committee at every other General Assembly. Such elections shall take place on the last day of the General Assembly. The members elected will serve a term covering the period immediately after the current General Assembly until the next round of election.
    11. All voting members of the Executive Committee are eligible for re-election. However, no individual shall serve in the Executive Committee for more than two consecutive complete terms.
    12. Nominations for the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and other members of the Executive Committee can be submitted in writing by any member of the League. These nominations must reach the Secretary General’s office at least twenty-four hours before the session of the General Assembly in which an election shall take place. A nomination is only considered valid if accompanied by a written agreement by the nominee to accept such a nomination for election.
    13. In case of vacancies in the Executive Committee caused by death or resignation, the Executive Committee is empowered to co-opt any individual to fill such vacated post until the next election. However, Section 9 of this Article shall still apply.
    14. The Executive Committee shall meet as frequently as the interest of the League requires, but no less than two times in between two Regular General Assemblies.
    15. Because of geographical and therefore financial constraints in bring together all the members of the Executive Committee, the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and the Secretary General of the League may, under the title of Directorate, make decisions which are subject to ratification by correspondence between the other members of the Executive Committee. The decisions so ratified shall then be considered legitimate and be transmitted to all members of the League.
    16. Two Assistant Secretaries can be appointed by the Chairman if necessary. They shall assist the work of the Chairman and the Secretary General respectively. These Assistant Secretaries may be present and may participate in all deliberations of the Executive Committee but have no voting rights.
    17. The Secretary General shall draw up minutes for each meeting of the Executive Committee and, when approved by the Chairman, these shall be distributed to all members of the Executive Committee. The Secretary General is responsible for the administrative services of the League, except for financial ones.
    18. The Chairman shall represent the League on all occasions. He or she authorizes expenditures and signs agreements or contracts committing funds of the League. He or she presents the reports of the Executive Committee to the General Assembly.
    19. In the absence of the Chairman, and by delegation, the Vice Chairman or other members of the Executive Committee in that order, shall exercise the functions of the Chairman both at Executive Committee meetings and at sessions of the General Assembly. The Secretary General may be delegated the power of the League in its relations with national or international organizations.
    20. The Treasurer shall:
      1. Prepare for the Executive Committee a financial report to be presented to all members of the League at each Regular General Assembly;
      2. Make available any funds towards expenditures authorized by the Executive Committee; and
      3. Issue formal notices to all members of the League who are in arrears with the payment of their annual dues, and propose any necessary measures on the subject.
    21. The Executive Committee shall draw up the agenda of the General Assembly and of all other meetings organized by the League.
    22. The Executive Committee shall submit to every session of the Regular General Assembly a report on the League’s work. This report can form part of the Chairman’s Report. After approval by the General Assembly, this report shall be despatched to all members of the League.
    23. The Executive Committee shall draft Guidelines for organizing Asian Composers League Conference-Festivals for adoption by the General Assembly. The Executive Committee shall also make sure that these Rules of Procedures dealing with major financial, artistic, and logistical issues in the organization of ACL Conference-Festivals are complied with as far as possible by the organizers of such events.

Article XI

WORKING COMMITTEES

    1. The Executive Committee shall have the power to set up individual working committees as they see a need for them.

Article XII

BUDGET

The financial resources of the League shall be derived from:

    1. Membership fees as suggested by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Assembly;
    2. Grants or contributions by inter-governmental organizations, governments, or public bodies;
    3. Legacies or grants from private bodies or persons; and
    4. Any other legal and legitimate sources.

Article XIII

AMENDMENT OF STATUTES

    1. These Statutes can be amended.
    2. No amendment to the Statutes can be made in any General Assembly unless the session is attended by at least three-quarters of its voting members, present or by proxy, and unless the amendment is approved by a two-thirds majority.
    3. Proposals to amend these statutes can be made either by the Executive Committee collectively or by any member of the League.
    4. When the Executive Committee collectively proposes an amendment, the proposal must be sent to all members of the League at least one month before the General Assembly. Proposals by members to amend the proposed amendments will be accepted by the Executive Committee if they are received in writing five days before the General Assembly.
    5. When members propose an amendment to the Statutes, the proposal must reach the Secretary General at least two months before a Regular General Assembly; and in the case of an Extraordinary General Assembly, two weeks in advance.

Article XIV

  1. The General Assembly may decide to dissolve the League by a two-thirds majority vote, provided more than half of all voting members are present or represented at such an Assembly.
  2. In the event of such dissolution, the assets of the League shall devolve in accordance with the decision of the General Assembly.