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 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. 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