Statute

ARTHRITIS/RHEUMATISM ASSOCIATION OF MALTA

FOR A BETTER LIFE

1. The Association

a) The name given to this Association is ‘Arthritis/Rheumatism Association Malta – for a Better Life.’ It was inaugurated on the 11th August 2007 at a meeting held at the Institute of Health Care, St Luke’s Hospital. It was then officially inaugurated on World Arthritis Day on 14th October 2007 by the Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Louis Deguara.

b) The Association is voluntary, autonomous and non-profit making.

c) The objectives of the Association are the following:

a. To provide more comprehensive information and understanding
regarding all forms of Arthritis and Rheumatism, therefore to create awareness of understanding and acceptance of the said conditions.

b. To promote more social contacts and to give support to members.

c. To represent the national interest of the members by listening and assisting them in their needs.

d. To urge Authorities to give due considerations and help where needed to the Association and its Members.

e. To encourage further Medical Research in the field of latest treatments regarding these conditions.

f. To organize and generate necessary funds to promote and aid the Association.

2. Ordinary Members:

A person who subscribes to the Association has to contribute an annual fee decided by the committee.

3. Corporate or Society Members:

A body corporate or unincorporated society which donates to the Association such annual sums as shall from time to time be determined as hereinafter defined, shall, so long as the donations continue, be entitled through its nominee to attend and vote at all General Meetings of the Association.

4. Administration:

a) The Association shall be managed by a Main Committee made up of seven members.

b) Each member must have some connection or interest regarding Arthritis and Rheumatism.

c) The committee is to be chaired by a President. Other members will include a Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.

d) In addition, at a General Meeting, up to two members from the medical or other professions and up to three other members may be appointed on a consultative basis.

e) The other members of the Main Committee shall be assigned other official duties according to necessity.

f) The posts of the Main Committee are selected by the Main Committee itself during the first Main Committee meeting held after its election. Likewise the duties of the posts.

g) The newly appointed main Committee shall hold its first meeting within a period of one month from election date.

h) During a Main Committee meeting, unless otherwise requested, voting will be by a show of hands. A request by any one member for a secret ballot is binding upon the rest of the committee.

i) Outgoing Main Committee members must hand over all records, correspondence, funds, equipment, properties and belongings of the Association to the newly elected Main Committee.

5. Interim Committee:

The interim committee shall hold office until the Annual General Meeting.

6. Term of Office:

a) The elected members of the Main Committee shall hold office for a term of three years commencing at the end of the annual general meeting at which they are elected and expiring at the end of the third annual general meeting following their appointment unless previously removed by a resolution of an extraordinary General Meeting of the Association.

b) The consultative members shall be appointed for a period of two years commencing from the day of appointment and expiring at the end of the second annual general meeting following their appointment.

7. Re-appointments:

Any members of the Main Committee shall if willing be eligible for re-appointment.

8. Filling of vacancies:

Any casual vacancies in the office of members or consultative members shall be filled by the Main Committee by a resolution. Any members appointed to fill such vacancies shall hold office until the end of the Annual General Meeting following.

9. Nomination for election:

a) Nominations for the election of members of the Main Committee shall be communicated to the Secretary at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting. Each nomination is to be seconded by at least one member of the association. Seconding may also be effected during the meeting.

b) The Secretary shall ensure that he/she has received enough nominations to fill all vacancies and shall obtain confirmation from nominees of their willingness to accept nomination.

c) All nominations received shall not be disclosed except during the General Meeting prior to elections.

d) Election of the members of the Main Committee shall take place either by show of hands or if the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies, by ballot.

10. Sub-Committees:

a) The Main Committee may establish such sub-committees as may be necessary and may invite Association members to participate.

b) A sub-committee must consist wholly of persons who are members of the Association.

c) Chairpersons of sub-committees shall, in the case of equality of votes, have a second or casting vote.

d) A sub-committee may make recommendations to the Committee.

11. Main Committee meetings:

a) The Main Committee shall meet at least four times a year. The President shall preside at such meetings and in his/her absence the Vice-President shall preside. If both the President and the Vice-President are absent, the Secretary shall preside. The person presiding the meeting shall exercise all the functions of the President.

b) Each member of the Main Committee including the President shall have one vote and in case of equality the President shall have a second or casting vote.

c) One third of the elected members of the committee, including at least one of the following: the President, vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary; shall form a quorum.

d) Any committee member who misses three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause shall be deemed to have resigned from the committee, after due warning by the committee

12. General meetings:

a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held by not later than March of each year.

b) Extraordinary general meetings may be convened by the Main Committee at any time upon request signed by not less than twenty members of the Association stating the objective of the meeting.

c) At least seven days notice in writing of all such general meetings shall be sent by post to the members of the Association. But the accidental omission to give notice of a meeting or the non receipt of notice of a meeting by any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting.

13. Procedure at General Meetings:

a) The contents of the notice for the meeting are read by the Secretary at the start of the meeting.

b) The President shall preside at any general meeting at which he/she is present and in his/her absent the Vice-President shall preside. If both are absent, the meeting will be presided by another member elected by the committee.

c) The President shall have a casting vote. Each member present shall have one vote.

d) There shall be a quorum when twenty-five members including the two members mentioned in Rule 7 hereof are present. In the event the Quorum is not reached after 30 minutes, the quorum will consist of the people present.

e) All motions should be in writing signed by the proposer and seconded shall be delivered to the President and read by him/her before any debate thereon shall take place.

f) Every matter shall be decided in the first place by a simple majority on show of hands but the President may order a poll and must do so if it is required by more than one third of the members present.

14. Finance:

a) Association membership fees are those proposed and approved at the general meeting.

b) The Secretary shall keep proper records of memberships of the Association.

c) Moneys received are to be duly receipted.

d) Claims for payment shall be approved by the Main Committee. If necessary, a payment may be effected before it is authorized such payment shall be certified as to its correctness and urgency by the President.

e) All sums collected shall be paid into a Bank Account in the name of ‘Arthritis/Rheumatism Association of Malta-for a Better Life’ but the Main Committee shall decide to keep a cash float of a specified amount for petty expenses. Cheques shall bear the signature of the President and that of either the Secretary or Treasurer. In the President’s absence, the signatures will be of the Secretary and Treasurer, with the consent of the Main Committee.

f) Money not required for immediate purposes of the Association may be invested from time to time as the Main Committee may deem advantageous.

g) The Financial year of the Association shall end on the 31st of December of each year. The Treasurer shall finalize the accounts of the Association as soon as possible after the close of the financial year to be presented to the Main Committee at a meeting to be held by not later than the end of March of the year following that to which the accounts relate.

h) The net income of the Association shall be applied by the Main Committee for furtherance of the objects of the Association. The Association may after obtaining the approval of the general meeting apply capital for projects closely associated with objects of the Association.

15. Amendments to Rules:

a) These rules may be altered or revoked and new rules may be proposed by the Main Committee members and presented at an Annual General Meeting for approval by the members attending the meeting.

b) Any proposal to alter the Rules for the time being in force must be communicated to the Secretary in writing at least one month before the general meeting at which the proposal is to be moved, takes place. The Secretary shall inform the other members of the committee of such proposals at least two weeks before the general meeting.

16. Dissolution:

If at any time the General Meeting or if the holding of a General Meeting is not possible, the Main Committee shall decide that the purposes of the Association cannot in the circumstances continue to be achieved or carried out and that the situation is not likely to improve, they may by resolution, recorded in the Acts of a Notary Public, determine that the cash holdings and other assets held on account of the Association after payment of all outstanding debts and liabilities be transferred to a similar Association or a charitable institution in Malta or Gozo.