time of being requested by any party to the agreement to make the appointment, the Chairman for the time being of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre may, on the application of any party to the agreement, appoint a conciliator who shall have the like powers to act in the conciliation proceedings as if he had been appointed in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
(2) The Chief Justice may if he thinks fit, by notification published in the Gazette, appoint any other person to exercise the powers of the Chairman of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre under subsection (1).
(3) Where an arbitration agreement provides for the appointment of a conciliator and further provides that the person so appointed shall act as an arbitrator in the event of the conciliation proceedings failing to produce a settlement acceptable to the parties—
- (a) no objection shall be taken to the appointment of such person as an arbitrator, or to his conduct of the arbitral proceedings, solely on the ground that he had acted previously as a conciliator in connection with some or all of the matters referred to arbitration;
- (b) if such person declines to act as an arbitrator, any other person appointed as an arbitrator shall not be required first to act as a conciliator unless a contrary intention appears in the arbitration agreement.
(4) Unless a contrary intention appears therein, an agreement which provides for the appointment of a conciliator shall be deemed to contain a provision that in the event of the conciliation proceedings failing to produce a settlement acceptable to the parties within 4 months, or such longer period as the parties may agree to, of the date of the appointment of the conciliator or, where he is appointed by name in the agreement, of the receipt by him of written notification of the existence of a dispute, the conciliation proceedings shall thereupon terminate.
Power of arbitrator to act as conciliator. 17.—(1) If all parties to any arbitral proceedings consent in writing and for so long as no party has withdrawn his consent in writing, an arbitrator or umpire may act as a conciliator.
