This Enactment may be cited as the Petition Writers Enactment, 1957, and shall come into force on such day as His Highness the Ruler may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

In this Enactment “petition writer” means any person who writes, types or in any other way prepares petitions, letters or other documents for other persons for fee or reward and who is not an Advocate and Solicitor acting on behalf of his employer in the proper performance of his duties.

No person shall act as a petition writer until he has registered with the District Officer of the district in which he lives and has obtained from him a license to act as a petition writer. Every such license shall be subject to such conditions as the District Officer may see fit to impose and shall remain in force until the end of the year in which it is issued, unless it is previously suspended or cancelled, and may be renewed annually at the discretion of the District Officer upon the application of the person licensed.

A District Officer may refuse to register or issue a licence to any person as a petition writer if he is satisfied that such person is not of good character or possessed of proper qualifications for writing petitions, or if such person has been convicted of an offence punishable with more than six month’s imprisonment.

A District Officer may in his discretion suspend or cancel any registration of or any license issued to any petition writer who has been convicted of any offense against this Enactment or against any rule made thereunder or of an offence punishable with more than six month’s imprisonment or who, in his opinion, has been guilty of negligence or misconduct in the discharge of his duties and in that event no part of the fee paid for such license shall be refunded.

When a District Officer refuses to register or license an applicant under section 4 or suspends or cancels the registration or license of a petition writer under section 5 he shall inform the applicant or petition writer to that effect by notice in writing and shall, in each case, specify in such notice the grounds on which such refusal, suspension or cancellation has been made and shall notify the applicant or petition writer that he has a right of appeal against such refusal, suspension or cancellation to the Ruler in Council.

Any applicant whose application is refused under the provisions of section 4 or any petition writer whose registration or license is suspended or cancelled under the provisions of section 5 may, within one month of the notice being served on him in accordance with sub-section (1), appeal to the Ruler of Council by petition delivered to the Clerk of Council and stating the grounds of appeal relied upon concisely in the Malay or English language.

The decision of the Ruler in Council upon any appeal under this section shall be final.

Any person who acts as a petition writer without having registered or obtained a license under this Enactment or commits a breach of any rule made there under of any condition of his license shall be liable on conviction to a fine of one thousand dollars or in default of payment to be imprisoned for a period of three months.

The Ruler in Council may make rules –

(a) to prescribe the form of license under this Enactment and the fees payable to the District Officer for the first issue and renewal of such license;

(b) to limit the number of licenses which may be issued in any district;

(c) to provide for the exhibition and production of licenses;

(d) to prescribe the maximum rates chargeable by petition writers, and provide for the endorsement on the document prepared of the signature of the petition writer, his license number and the amount of the fee or reward charged;

(e) to provide for keeping of books and accounts by petition writers and their inspection by District Officers or officers authorised by them in that behalf;

(f) and generally for the purposes of carrying this Enactment into effect.