Speakers' Corner, Singapore to these free speech concerns, Speakers' Corner was created as local adaptation of the Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London, in 2000. In a 1999 interview with "New York Times" columnist William Safire, the Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said the idea had first been suggested by the Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, but Goh felt that it was not yet the right time to set it up. The following year, the Government decided to go ahead despite its fear of potential public disorder, as the idea enjoyed widespread support from the public and civil society groups. During a Parliamentary
Speakers' Corner, Singapore 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. 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