This martial arts certificate is proof of recognition by the Martial Arts Control Unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs that Mdm Goh Chang Kheng was registered as a trainee in martial arts between 1982 and 1983. In 1973, the Singapore government announced that a Martial Arts Control Unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs would be set up to ensure control of all practitioners as well as ensure that facilities provided by martial arts such as taekwondo, karate and other self-defence martial arts were not misused by gangsters and secret societies. The first Martial Arts Instruction Act of 1974 required all persons (instructors and trainees in martial arts and those related to martial arts associations) and martial arts associations to be registered. The practitioners and the martial arts associations that failed to register under this Act were deemed unlawful and liable to be fined or arrested for imprisonment. Martial arts instructors were required to apply for a certificate and trainees learning martial arts had to apply for registration. In 1974, the registration fee was $50 for associations, $100 per year for instructors and $5 per month for trainees.
