Statute Details
- Title: Revised Edition of the Laws (Legitimacy Act) (Rectification) Order 2019
- Act Code: RELA1983-S51-2019
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary Legislation (Order)
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Authorising Provision: Section 23(1) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Presentation to Parliament: Under section 23(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Date Made: 23 January 2019
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the extract (rectification order)
- Key Operation: Rectifies a typographical error in the Schedule to the Legitimacy Act
- Specific Amendment: Replaces “contrued” with “construed” in paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the Legitimacy Act
- Status (as indicated): Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Revised Edition of the Laws (Legitimacy Act) (Rectification) Order 2019 is a narrow, technical piece of Singapore legislation. Its purpose is not to change substantive law on legitimacy, but to correct a mistake in the published text of the Legitimacy Act (Cap. 162). In particular, the Order rectifies a spelling/typographical error found in the Schedule to the Act.
In plain terms, the Law Revision Commissioners identified that a word in the Schedule was incorrectly printed as “contrued” and that it should have been “construed”. The Order therefore amends the official legal text so that the meaning of the provision is clear and consistent with standard legal drafting conventions. This kind of rectification is common in law revision processes: it ensures that the law as printed matches the intended legal meaning.
Although the change is small, it matters to practitioners because legal interpretation often turns on precise wording. The corrected word “construed” is a term of art in statutory interpretation, referring to how a provision is understood or interpreted. Leaving the error uncorrected could create avoidable confusion in arguments about interpretation, especially where the Schedule interacts with interpretive provisions or definitions.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Citation (Section 1). The Order begins with a standard citation provision. Section 1 states that the instrument is the “Revised Edition of the Laws (Legitimacy Act) (Rectification) Order 2019”. This is a formal provision used to identify the Order in legal references.
Rectification of error (Section 2). The substantive operative provision is Section 2. It directs the rectification of an error in the Schedule to the Legitimacy Act. Specifically, it instructs that in paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the Legitimacy Act (Cap. 162, 1985 Ed.), the word “contrued” is to be deleted and replaced with “construed”.
Why this particular correction is legally significant. The corrected word “construed” is commonly used in legislation to indicate that a term or provision should be interpreted in a particular way. “Contrue d” is not a standard English word in legal drafting. While a court may infer the intended meaning from context, practitioners generally prefer that the official text be corrected to avoid disputes about whether the error is merely typographical or whether it reflects a different intended meaning. Rectification orders therefore reduce interpretive uncertainty and improve the reliability of the statutory text.
Procedural and institutional context. The enacting formula (as shown in the extract) indicates that the Law Revision Commissioners act under the powers conferred by section 23(1) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act. This is important for practitioners because it explains the legal basis for the rectification. The Law Revision Commissioners are empowered to correct errors in revised editions of the laws to ensure accuracy. The Order also includes the standard requirement that it is “to be presented to Parliament under section 23(2)”—a transparency and accountability mechanism.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Order is extremely short and is structured around two main provisions:
(1) Section 1 (Citation): identifies the instrument.
(2) Section 2 (Rectification of error): specifies the exact location and nature of the correction—paragraph 6 of the Schedule to the Legitimacy Act, replacing “contrued” with “construed”.
Beyond these provisions, the instrument includes the enacting formula and formalities typical of Singapore subsidiary legislation, including the date made and the signature of the Chairman of the Law Revision Commission. The Order does not contain separate Parts or extensive schedules of its own; it operates by amending the text of the Legitimacy Act.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
Because this is a rectification order, it does not create obligations for a particular class of persons (such as employers, individuals, or regulated entities). Instead, it applies indirectly to everyone who relies on the Legitimacy Act—courts, lawyers, government agencies, and members of the public—by ensuring that the official statutory text is accurate.
In practice, the correction affects legal interpretation of the relevant scheduled provision. Therefore, it is most relevant to practitioners dealing with matters under the Legitimacy Act, including any proceedings or administrative actions where the Schedule’s wording may be invoked. Even though the amendment is limited to a single word, it can be important in litigation where statutory interpretation is contested.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
First, rectification orders preserve the integrity of the legal text. Singapore’s legal system places high value on the accuracy of published legislation. A typographical error in a revised edition can persist across printings and become embedded in citations. By correcting “contrued” to “construed”, the Order ensures that the law is presented in a form that reflects intended legal meaning.
Second, the correction reduces litigation risk. In statutory interpretation disputes, parties may argue over the meaning of words and the significance of drafting choices. If the text contains an obvious error, opposing counsel might attempt to exploit ambiguity—whether by arguing that the error reflects a different intended term, or by claiming that the provision should be interpreted differently because the text is defective. Rectification removes that potential distraction and supports a more straightforward interpretive approach.
Third, it demonstrates the role of the Law Revision Commissioners and the Revised Edition of the Laws Act in maintaining the statutory corpus. The Order is a practical example of how Singapore law revision mechanisms work: they do not only consolidate and reprint laws, but also correct errors discovered in the course of revision. For practitioners, understanding this mechanism is useful when checking the authoritative text and when assessing whether a discrepancy in wording is a known and corrected error.
Related Legislation
- Legitimacy Act (Cap. 162)
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (authorising act for rectification powers)
- Legislation Timeline (for version control and confirming the correct current text)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Legitimacy Act) (Rectification) Order 2019 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.