Rules

Committee Rules of Procedure

General Rules

1. LANGUAGE: English will be the sole official and working language of the entire summit.

2. DELEGATION: Each member nation will be represented by 12 delegates. 2 in each of the 5 bureaus and 2 in the press team.

3. STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARIAT: The Model ASEAN Secretariat may at any point in time make either written or oral statements to the communities and meetings.

4. GENENAL POWERS OF THE COMMUNITY STAFF: The Chairman of each Community will declare the opening and closing of each dialogue, be it informal or formal. The Chairman, subject to these rules, will have complete control over the proceedings at any meeting. The Chairman will direct discussions, accord the right to speak, put questions, announce decisions, and ensure and enforce the observance of these rules. The Chairman may temporarily transfer his duties to another member of the Community staff, e.g. The Vice-Chairman.

5. QUORUM: The Chairman may only declare a Community open and permit dialogue sessions to proceed when all members of the Community are present.

6. COURTESY: Delegates will show courtesy and respect to the Community staff and to other delegates. The Chairman possesses the right to disqualify any delegate who fails to comply with this rule.

Rules of Parliamentary Procedure

1. SPEAKERS LIST: The Chairman will establish a Speakers List. Delegates who wish to speak may put their name on the Speakers List, and they will be accorded the right to speak in the sequence reflected in the Speakers List.

2. TIME LIMIT ON SPEECHES: The Chairman may limit the time allotted to each speaker. The minimum time limit will be one minute.

3. COMMENTS: After a delegate has made a speech, the other delegates will have the right to comment on the speech made. The Chairman will decide the time limit for comments. Delegates can show their support for the speaker, oppose what the speaker has said or provide constructive feedback via their comments. After all comments have been made, the speaker will have a total time of 2 minutes to respond to the comments made.

4. FORMAL DIALOGUE: Formal Dialogue would refer to the normal proceedings, with the Chairman facilitating the discussion. Dialogue at all times would be formal unless the committee enters informal dialogue, with the approval of the Chairman.

5. INFORMAL DIALOGUE: The purpose of informal dialogue is to facilitate substantive discussions at critical junctures in the proceedings. During an informal dialogue, the Chairman may choose to break the Community into smaller groups e.g. by their national interest on a particular issue. Delegates are free to roam around and speak at his or her discretion during informal dialogue. Delegates should make use of this time to strengthen their blocs and to clear any doubts among themselves, so that they can present a united front at the proceedings. Delegates should also utilize this time to negotiate with the other bloc, such that a consensus can eventually be reached. A delegate can call for informal dialogue at any point in time during formal dialogue, but the delegate calling for it must briefly explain its purpose and propose a time limit for it, not to exceed fifteen minutes. Once called for, the motion will be voted on and a consensus must be reached for informal dialogue to take place. After informal dialogue has ended, a speaker's list will be drawn up for the delegates to share what have been discussed during the informal dialogue. The Chairman will decide on the time limit of the speeches to be made.

6. PERSONAL PRIVILEGE: Whenever a delegate experiences personal discomfort which impairs his or her ability to participate actively in the proceedings, he or she may raise his or her placard to inform the Chairman of his or her discomfort, and thereby request for it to be corrected. Delegates experiencing discomfort may interrupt a speaker or even the Chairman. Delegates should use this power with the utmost discretion and not abuse it.

7. PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY: A delegate who is unclear of the rules of procedure should approach the Community staff during informal dialogue to seek clarification on their doubts. Delegates should bear in mind that they are not to interrupt a speaker when inquiring about the rules of procedure.

8. INTRODUCING DECLARATION: Any delegation can submit their Declaration for use as the basis for a Joint Declaration. Once a declaration has been approved as stipulated above and has been copied and distributed, a delegate may rise to introduce the Declarations. The Chair will decide on the time limit for the speaker introducing the Declaration.

9. AMENDMENTS: Delegates may amend the Declaration that has been introduced. Amendments to amendments are out of order; however, an amended part of a Declaration may be further amended. Amendments require a consensus to be passed.

10. CONSENSUS: A consensus must be reached for any motions.

11. NOTE PASSING: Note passing will be allowed among delegates during all meetings. Note passing will not be restricted within the country and community, and should be widely used to communicate discreetly and effectively among delegates.