S'pore's muted free-speech corner opens<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore launched a muted free-speech corner
\non Friday with local issues dominating but few willing listeners.<\/p>\n
The crowd, outnumbered by local and foreign journalists in the
\nmorning, peaked around 100 at lunchtime, swelled by curious
\noffice workers from nearby buildings.<\/p>\n
Speakers, though, said they were encouraged by the initial
\nturnout as they passed around a petition asking the police to
\nallow the use of microphones to attract a bigger audience.<\/p>\n
Among the inaugural orators was political scientist James
\nGomez, the author of a book on the self-censoring nature of
\nSingaporeans, who welcomed the opportunity to speak in public
\neven though there were restrictions.<\/p>\n
\"It symbolizes the lifting of a psychological veil,\" said
\nGomez wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of Malaysia's jailed
\nex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
\"If nobody was here, I think I'll be frightened when I spoke.
\nBut since I see many people here I should be comfortable,\" he
\ntold AFP.<\/p>\n
Although the Speakers' Corner was supposedly patterned on
\nLondon's famed free-speech haven in Hyde Park, the government
\nimposed a raft of restrictions.<\/p>\n
Speeches of a religious nature are banned, as are those which
\nincite racial hatred.<\/p>\n
Only Singaporean citizens are allowed to speak and they must
\nuse one of Singapore's four official languages -- Malay,
\nMandarin, Tamil and English.<\/p>\n
The use of microphones and musical instruments is banned, and
\nspeakers have been warned to abide by laws against sedition.<\/p>\n
Gomez took the government to task for banning the use of
\nmicrophones, complained that few shops were prepared to sell his
\nbook and criticized the high salaries for state officials.<\/p>\n
\"We are the shareholders,\" he said, likening government
\nofficials to a company's board of directors of a company.<\/p>\n
\"We as the shareholders have the right to fire them. But right
\nnow the shareholders are structured in a way that they have no
\npower,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Yaw Shin Leong, project director of a group called Think
\nCenter, said he was bothered by the growing pool of \"foreign
\ntalents\" in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Standing on a bench in the tree-lined Hong Lim Park which
\nborders the financial district, the 24-year-old said he felt
\ndisplaced.<\/p>\n
\"I have nothing against foreign talents but I do not feel
\ncomfortable having them around. How talented are these foreign
\ntalents?\" he asked, straining his voice to be heard by the
\nhandful of onlookers.<\/p>\n
\"There is a lack of local talent in Singapore so how do you
\npropose to solve the problem?\" asked an elderly by-stander, one
\nof the few people prepared to interject.<\/p>\n
To some listeners, it was a good start towards free speech in
\ntightly regulated Singapore. Others were not amused.<\/p>\n
\"It's like a coffee shop,\" said an office worker, who asked
\nnot to be named. \"You can listen to these things in the coffee
\nshop.\"<\/p>\n
A real estate broker said the government should listen because
\nthe speakers' corner provided an avenue for people with pent-up
\nfrustrations.<\/p>\n
\"They (government officials) can get a better feel of the
\npeople's pulse here,\" the broker told AFP. \"For whatever it is
\nworth, I think this is a good start.\"<\/p>\n
An opinion survey taken two weeks before the speakers' corner
\nopened found an overwhelming 93 percent of Singaporeans would
\nrather remain silent than publicly criticize the government.<\/p>\n
Gomez said he would give the corner two months before making a
\nfirm assessment. \"Today is the just the first day. Let's take
\nstock after a couple of months,\" he said.<\/p>",
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