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 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, 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