The Speakers' Corner in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

is an area located within Hong Lim Park at the

Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buildi ...

district, whereby

Singaporeans Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Indi ...

may demonstrate, hold exhibitions and performances, as well as being able to engage freely in political open-air public speeches, debates and discussions. It is based upon the premise of its namesake,

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas desig ...

, which was first launched at

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Gre ...

and has since been established in many other countries with a political system of

representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

. Launched in 2000, it aims to address the genuine desire by some Singaporeans for lawful outdoor demonstrations and processions as a means of further political expression, without disrupting or hindering the productivity of the country as a whole. Singaporeans are also entitled to organise or participate in demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner without having to obtain a police permit. Hong Lim Park was chosen as it was previously also a popular venue for many election rallies and political speeches during the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, the park is centrally located within the city-centre, and are well-served by

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

services while being situated at a high public density area.

Launch

It was launched on 1 September 2000 by the

Singapore Government The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise ...

as a venue for " free speech area" where speaking events could be held without the need to apply for a licence under the Public Entertainments Act (Cap. 257, 1985 Rev. Ed.), now the ("PEMA"). However, it was necessary for people to register their intention to speak at the venue with a police officer at the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post any time within 30 days before the event, though there was no requirement for the police to be informed of the topic of the proposed speech. Other conditions imposed were that speeches had to take place between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and the use of sound amplification devices was prohibited. In 2002, exhibitions and performances were permitted to be held at Speakers' Corner. Conditions for the use of Speakers' Corner were further liberalized in 2008. Responsibility for registering people wishing to speak or stage an exhibition or performance was taken over by the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, and online registration was introduced. It became possible to hold

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...

provided they are organized by Singapore citizens and the participants are only citizens and

permanent residents Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such ...

. Events can now be held around the clock, and self-powered amplification devices like loudhailers may be used between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. At present, Speakers' Corner is concurrently regulated by the Parks and Trees Regulations
Cap. 216, Rg. 1, 2006 Rev. Ed.
, the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) (No. 2) Order 2011
S 493/2011
(issued under the PEMA) and the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) (No. 2) Order 2011
S 494/2011
(issued under the ("POA")). The applicable conditions have remained essentially unchanged. Speakers and demonstration organizers must be Singapore citizens, while participants at demonstrations must be either citizens or

. Banners, films, flags, photographs, placards, posters, signs, writing or other visible representations or paraphernalia containing violent, lewd or obscene material must not be displayed or exhibited. Persons making speeches must use any of the four official languages of Singapore (English, Malay, Mandarin and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

) or related dialects, and organizers of demonstrations must be present throughout the event. Events must not deal with any matter that relates directly or indirectly to any religious belief or to religion generally, or which may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in

. Events adhering to the regulations are not immune from other existing laws such as those relating to

defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

and

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, esta ...

. Articles 14(1)(a) and (b) of the

Constitution of Singapore The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore. A written constitution, the text which took effect on 9 August 1965 is derived from the Constitution of the State of Singapore 1963, provisions of the Federal Const ...

respectively guarantee freedom of speech and expression and

freedom of assembly Freedom of peaceful assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ide ...

to Singapore citizens. However, the PEMA and POA, which require permits to be obtained before public meetings and assemblies can be held, were enacted pursuant to exceptions to these rights. Article 14(2)(a) provides that

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

may by law restrict the right to free speech to protect, among other things, Singapore's security and public order, and to prevent incitement to any criminal offence. Under Article 14(2)(b), the right of assembly may also be limited for public order reasons. As Speakers' Corner was intended to increase avenues available for the exercise of free speech, the pieces of

subsidiary legislation Primary legislation and secondary legislation (the latter also called delegated legislation or subordinate legislation) are two forms of law, created respectively by the legislative and executive branches of governments in representative democ ...

regulating the venue were issued to provide that public speaking and demonstrations there are not subject to the PEMA and POA if the conditions specified in the subsidiary legislation are complied with. Speakers' Corner has been criticized as a token gesture, though others have pointed to its use by

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere. Singapore's political model has been described as a

,. and Singaporeans have constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly under Articles 14(1)(a) and (b) of the

Constitution of the Republic of Singapore The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore. A written constitution, the text which took effect on 9 August 1965 is derived from the Constitution of the State of Singapore 1963, provisions of the Federal Cons ...

. The constitutional rights to free speech and assembly extend only to Singapore citizens. Hence, the Singapore Court of Appeal has held that non-citizens enjoy only common law free speech. Articles 14(1)(a) and (b) are then subject to Articles 14(2)(a) and (b) which allow Parliament to impose, by law, restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech and assembly. The grounds for restrictions are, for freedom of speech, Singapore's security, friendly relations with other states, public order, public morality, protecting

parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties ...

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

and incitement to any criminal offence; and for freedom of assembly, public order only. These restrictions made it a lengthy and difficult process to obtain the licence required to address a public gathering. In response to these free speech concerns, Speakers' Corner was created as local adaptation of the

, in 2000. In a 1999 interview with ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' columnist

William Safire William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He ...

, the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (; born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party between 1992 and 2004. He was the Member of Parliament (M ...

said the idea had first been suggested by the Senior Minister

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

, but Goh felt that it was not yet the right time to set it up. The following year, the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

decided to go ahead despite its fear of potential public disorder, as the idea enjoyed widespread support from the public and

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

debate on the issue on 25 April 2000, opposition

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam ( ta, ஜோசுவா பெஞ்சமின் ஜெயரத்தினம்; 5 January 1926 – 30 September 2008), better known as J. B. Jeyaretnam or by his initials JBJ, was a Singaporean politician, law ...

asked the

Minister for Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

Wong Kan Seng Wong Kan Seng ( zh, s=黄根成, j=Wong4 Gan1 Sing4, poj=N̂g Kun-sêng, p=Huáng Gēnchéng; born 8 September 1946) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 2005 and 2011. He has been serving ...

whether this was a "mere show" or whether the Government was serious about promoting free speech in Singapore. If the latter, he asked if the Minister would agree to an open debate with the

Workers' Party of Singapore The Workers' Party (abbreviation: WP) is a major centre-left political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and opposition Progr ...

outside Parliament. In response, Wong said there was nothing to prevent Jeyaretnam from making a speech at Speakers' Corner, but that the public forum for a proper policy debate was in Parliament: Speakers' Corner was launched on 1 September 2000 at Hong Lim Park, a historical venue for political speeches and rallies. The park's proximity to the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) also made it convenient for people to register to speak at the venue. In the first nine months, more than a thousand speeches were made.

Regulations governing usage

Previous regulations

Speakers' Corner was established by the issuance of the Public Entertainments (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) Order 2000, which exempted people wishing to speak in Hong Lim Park from the need to apply for a licence under the Public Entertainments Act. Speakers had to be Singapore citizens, as the Government was concerned that the venue should not be used by foreigners "to pursue their own agenda whether in respect of their own domestic issues, or those of other countries, including Singapore's".Wong, "Speakers' Corner", col. 23 They also had to register their intention to speak with a police officer at the Kreta Ayer NPP any time within 30 days before the public speaking, although there was no need to inform the police of the topic of the proposed speech. However, speakers were not permitted to deal with any matter which related either directly or indirectly to any religious belief or to religion generally, or which might cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore. Dr Chee Soon Juan

On 15 February 2002, while at Speakers' Corner,

Singapore Democratic Party The Singapore Democratic Party (abbreviation: SDP) is a politcal party in Singapore. The party was founded on 6 August 1980 by Chiam See Tong. During the 1991 general election, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen won Bukit Gombak SMC and Ne ...

chief

Chee Soon Juan Chee Soon Juan is a Singaporean politician, activist and former lecturer who has been serving as Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party since 1993. Prior to entering politics in 1992, upon Chiam See Tong's invitation to join the ...

attacked the Government's decision to suspend four Muslim girls for wearing the ''

tudung The tudong (Indonesian: ''tudung'', Jawi: تودوڠ) is a style of headscarf, worn as interpretation of the Islamic hijab, prevalent amongst many Muslim women in the Malay-speaking world; Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Today, the ...

'' (Islamic headscarf) to public schools. Contrary to police advice, he chose not to apply for a public entertainment licence, arguing he did not need one. Chee's speech sparked heated exchanges involving the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

practice of wearing turbans. In July, Chee was convicted and fined S$3,000 for speaking without the required licence. In his judgment, District Judge Kow Keng Siong emphasized the twin considerations of public order and national security in

multi-racial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

and multi-religious Singapore, finding that Chee's speech had bred social unrest. Under the

, a person who has been fined at least $2,000 cannot stand for election to Parliament for five years. As a result of the incident, Chee was barred from contesting the 2006 general elections. Other conditions imposed on a speech at Speakers' Corner were that it had to take place only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the date notified by the person to the police, had to be in any of Singapore's four official languages (English, Malay, Mandarin or

) or any related dialects, and the use of sound amplification devices was prohibited. The latter restriction was justified on the grounds that it would reduce

noise pollution Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mai ...

and prevent one speaker from drowning out another one, and that it also applied to Speakers' Corner in London. In 2002, exhibitions and performances were also permitted to be held at Speakers' Corner. The conditions that organizers and participants had to adhere to were broadly similar to those applying to speeches. In addition, the organizer or an authorized agent had to be present at all times during the exhibition or performance, the event could not contain violent, lewd or obscene messages, no banners or placards could be carried by participants, and the event could not be an assembly or procession for which a permit was required under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) (Assemblies and Processions) Rules.

Current regulations

Liberalization of Speakers' Corner, Singapore - 20100323

With effect from 1 September 2008, under the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) Order 2008 ("2008 PEMA Order"), responsibility for registering people wishing to speak or stage an exhibition or performance at Speakers' Corner was taken over from the police by the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation by way of an amendment to the Parks and Trees Regulations. To provide greater convenience, the

National Parks Board The National Parks Board (NParks) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. History In November 1989, Minister of National Development, S. Dhanabalan, presented the National Parks Bill ...

made it possible for people to register online at its website.. The web page for registration is https://www.nparks.gov.sg/speakers-corner-application-form. In addition, it became possible to hold

provided that they are organized by Singapore citizens and the participants are only citizens and permanent residents. As the time period restriction was lifted, events can now be held around the clock. In addition, rules on voice amplification were revised to allow the use of self-powered amplification devices like loudhailers from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. This relaxation of the rules potentially allows for speakers' messages to be heard by larger audiences. A minor change was also introduced to the conditions for the use of Speakers' Corner – no banner, film, photograph,

placard A placard is a notice installed in a public place, like a small card, sign, or plaque. It can be attached to or hung from a vehicle or building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less perma ...

or poster containing any violent, lewd or obscene material may be displayed or exhibited whether before, during or after the event. In the first month after public demonstrations were permitted at Speakers' Corner, 11 out of the 31 applications received were indicated as being public protests. Hearers of Cries, a group concerned with the plight of abused maids, became the first group to hold a public outdoor demonstration at Speakers' Corner. The Public Order Act, intended to regulate public assemblies and processions and to introduce new powers for the preservation of public order, came into force on 9 October 2009. On the same day, the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2009 ("2009 POA Order") made pursuant to the Act declared that Speakers' Corner was an unrestricted area in which assemblies and processions could be held without the need for a police permit. Thus, at present, Speakers' Corner is concurrently regulated by the Parks and Trees Regulations, and by exemption orders issued under the PEMA and POA. The conditions under which addresses, debates, demonstrations, discussions, lectures and talks (whether or not together with any exhibition, performance, play-reading or recital), must be held have remained essentially unchanged. Speakers and demonstration organizers must be Singapore citizens, while participants in demonstrations must be either citizens or permanent residents. Banners, films, flags, photographs, placards, posters, signs, writing or other visible representations or paraphernalia containing violent, lewd or obscene material must not be displayed or exhibited. Persons making speeches must use any of the four official languages of Singapore or related dialects, and organizers of demonstrations must be present throughout the event. In January 2008, the Complaints Choir, a vocal group participating in the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2008, was denied the chance to perform at Speakers' Corner and other outdoor venues unless the six foreigners in the group of 50 did not participate in the performance.. As the choir did not wish to be split up in any way, it decided not to go ahead with the performance. Queried on the matter in Parliament, the Minister for Communication, Information and the Arts Dr. Lee Boon Yang stated that the Government did not think it "desirable or good precedent" for "foreigners o comehere to organise and to lead Singaporeans to complain about our domestic issues". Crucially, events held at Speakers' Corner must not deal with any matter that relates directly or indirectly to any religious belief or to religion generally, or which may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore. On 19 September 2008, Thamiselvan Karuppaya, an Indian real estate agent who wished to speak at Speakers' Corner about the use of Tamil on public signs, had to change his plans after being informed by the police that he required a permit as the topic of his speech was racially sensitive. A subsequent application for a permit was turned down.. A contravention of the regulations renders speakers and organizers of demonstrations liable to fines of up to $10,000,2009 POA Order, paras. 3(2) and 4(2); POA, s. 15(1). or incarceration of up to six months. The penalty for displaying anything violent, lewd or obscene at a demonstration is a fine not exceeding $3,000 or, on a subsequent conviction, $5,000. Events which adhere to the regulations are also not immune from other existing laws such as those relating to

and

. In 2011, the regulations creating Speakers' Corner were suspended and then restored twice: first for the purpose of the campaigning period during the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, and subsequently for the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

Rights to free speech and assembly

In his 2008

National Day Rally The National Day Rally ( ms, Rapat Umum Hari Kebangsaan; ; ta, தேசிய தின பேரணி) is an annual message delivered by the prime minister of Singapore to the entire nation, on the first or second Sunday after the National ...

speech, Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

indicated that the purpose behind various government policies, including the creation of Speakers' Corner, was to "liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation".. Its reception was mixed, however, and there have been a wide range of views and perspectives on the impact of Speakers' Corner in increasing the space for free speech and the freedom to assemble. It has been called an "exercise in tokenism" for the purpose of preserving a literal "space" for engaging in free speech while also "cornering" it in that space. This is reflected in the relative lack of progress towards liberalization in other areas such as awards of high damages in libel lawsuits brought by politicians which has been said to have a

chilling effect In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal sanction. A chilling effect may be caused by legal actions such as the passing of a law, the ...

on political speech in Singapore. Former Workers' Party member

James Gomez James Gomez is a Singaporean academic , politician and a member of the Singapore Democratic Party. Career Academic career Gomez was appointed as a visiting associate at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore in 1995, and was ...

has also expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the Speakers' Corner as a site of vibrant political debate, citing the lack of a "culture of speaking" amongst Singaporeans. The ban on racially or religiously sensitive speech has been criticized as possibly curtailing free speech on genuine political matters and limiting the scope of constitutionally entrenched fundamental liberties. Despite such criticisms, some social activist groups remain optimistic that Speakers' Corner represents a step towards political liberalization and the promise of a wider political space. Although Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan, Assistant Dean of the

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. History The Lee Kuan Yew School o ...

, has noted that initial cynicism was inevitable as Speakers' Corner was a top-down initiative, he recognizes that civil society activists have since actively occupied and made use of Speakers' Corner to generate public interest in various social and political issues. This view is shared by Professor Bilveer Singh, a political science analyst at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in th ...

, who has pointed to large turnouts at events organized at Speakers' Corner as evidence that Singaporeans are "not fearful and not politically apathetic." The government has also shown itself to be sensitive to calls for greater liberalisation on the ground, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledging incremental changes to the rules and regulations at Speakers' Corner to be necessary for "more citizens to engage in debate" and to "progressively open up our system even more".

Developments

In 2008, Speakers' Corner was the scene for meetings held over several weeks by

Tan Kin Lian Tan Kin Lian (; Hokkien pronunciation ; born 9 March 1948) is a Singaporean businessman who served as the chief executive officer of NTUC Income between 1977 and 2007. On 7 June 2011, Tan announced his intention to stand for the presidency in ...

, former chief executive of insurance company

NTUC Income } Income Insurance Limited, commonly known as Income, is one of the leading composite insurers in Singapore, offering life, health and general insurance. Established in Singapore in 1970 to plug a social need for insurance, Income continues to se ...

, to advise people of their legal recourse after

structured product A structured product, also known as a market-linked investment, is a pre-packaged structured finance investment strategy based on a single security, a basket of securities, options, indices, commodities, debt issuance or foreign currencies, and ...

s they had purchased became virtually valueless upon the collapse of

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1847. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, ...

.. On 23 January 2009 during an event at Speakers' Corner, the National Solidarity Party gave its views on the national budget one day after it was announced, criticizing the Government for not doing enough to assist unemployed breadwinners during the recession. The Party's secretary-general, Ken Sunn, said the event was to let Singaporeans "participate, speak and hear various views and opinions on the Singapore Government's 2009 Budget statement, and discuss ways to improve our Singapore Economy". The first public rally by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Singapore, called

Pink Dot SG Pink Dot SG, known exonymously as Pink Dot, is an event that has occurred annually since 2009 in support of the LGBT community in Singapore. Attendees of Pink Dot events gather to form a "pink dot" to show support for inclusiveness, diversity ...

, was held on 16 May 2009. Estimates of the number of people who attended ranged from 1,000 to 2,500 people. Held every year since, the event was attended by 28,000 people in 2015. On 31 May 2009, more than a hundred people attended a demonstration at Speakers' Corner organized by human rights advocacy group Maruah to call for

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

to release

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

. Participants from Myanmar were requested to remain outside a cordoned-off area since only Singaporeans and permanent residents may attend demonstrations at Speakers' Corner. In July 2009, the

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

installed closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for "safety and security". The police said that the cameras complemented the presence of their officers on the ground and did not record audio inputs. The move drew some negative reactions from the public. Former Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong felt that the installation of CCTV cameras was "pretty ridiculous", and wondered if the move might feed the perception in some quarters that Singapore is a

police state A police state describes a state where its government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the ...

, since Speakers' Corner is "the one place in Singapore" where people can demonstrate.. Nevertheless, the surveillance cameras have not affected various events from being held. With effect from 1 December 2009, the size of Speakers' Corner was reduced so that it only occupies the half of Hong Lim Park nearer

New Bridge Road New Bridge Road (; ms, Jalan Jambatan Baharu) is a major one-way road located within the Central Area in Singapore. New Bridge Road starts at the Coleman Bridge to the south of the Singapore River and extends into Chinatown within the Outra ...

. From 1 March 2012, Speakers' Corner was expanded to include an area behind Kreta Ayer NPP, near the junction of North Canal Road and

South Bridge Road South Bridge Road () is a major road in Singapore, running south of the Singapore River in Chinatown. It starts at Elgin Bridge and ends at the junction of Neil Road, Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road. Landmarks *Buddha Tooth Relic Temple ...

. A commemorative birthday memorial was organized for J.B. Jeyaretnam, the late leader of the opposition Reform Party, at Speakers' Corner on 5 January 2010. At the event, several opposition politicians shared with the public their experiences with Jeyaretnam. In September 2010, ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' newspaper reported that statistics from the

indicated that the number of groups registering to stage events at Speakers' Corner had fallen from 39 between September 2008 and August 2009, to nine between September 2009 and August 2010. The number of individuals registering dropped from 102 to 57 during the same periods. Senior Minister

, who was

when Speakers' Corner was set up, expressed the view that its use had declined because there were now other avenues for people to express themselves such as the Internet (including the

's online feedback portal Reach), newspapers, and radio and television channels. Also, people might feel that the venue is not always the best place "to meaningfully and constructively press their views on issues". He saw Speakers' Corner as "playing the same role as envisaged – mostly dormant but good to have". On 30 November 2013, the first public rally by the special needs community in Singapore, called The Purple Parade, was held. The event attracted 4,000 participants. The event has been held every year since, with the event moved to the Fountain of Wealth in

Suntec City Suntec City is a major mixed-use development located in Marina Centre, a subzone of the Downtown Core in Singapore, which combines a shopping mall, office buildings, and a convention centre. Construction began on 18 January 1992 and was comp ...

in 2016. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

had caused applications to host events at the Speakers' Corner being suspended in April 2020. As such, the Pink Dot rally in 2020 was a virtual event rather than a physical rally at Speakers' Corner. Speakers' Corner was reopened on 25 March 2022.

Notes

References

Legislation

* ("PEMA"). *Public Entertainments (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) Order 2000 (S 364/2000) ("2000 PEA Order"). *Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) Order
Cap. 257, O 3, 2002 Rev. Ed.
, archived fro
the original
on 27 September 2010 ("2002 PEMA Order"). *Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers' Corner) (Exemption) Order 2008 (S 426/2008) ("2008 PEMA Order"). * ("POA"). *Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2009 (S 491/2009) ("2009 POA Order").

Other works

*. *.

External links

National Parks Board
{{Good article 2000 establishments in Singapore Freedom of assembly in Singapore Freedom of expression in Singapore Parks in Singapore Politics of Singapore Singapore government policies

Launch

Regulations governing usage

Previous regulations

Current regulations

Rights to free speech and assembly

Developments

See also

Notes

References

Legislation

Other works

Further reading

Articles

Books

News reports

Websites

External links