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 Speakers' Corner, Singapore Speakers' Corner is an area located within Hong Lim Park, Singapore, where citizens and permanent residents of Singapore may demonstrate, hold exhibitions and performances, and speak freely on most topics after prior registration on a government website. Such activities are heavily restricted in other parts of Singapore. It was launched on 1 September 2000 by the Singapore Government 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