S'pore's muted free-speech corner opens

S'pore's muted free-speech corner opens

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore launched a muted free-speech corner
on Friday with local issues dominating but few willing listeners.

The crowd, outnumbered by local and foreign journalists in the
morning, peaked around 100 at lunchtime, swelled by curious
office workers from nearby buildings.

Speakers, though, said they were encouraged by the initial
turnout as they passed around a petition asking the police to
allow the use of microphones to attract a bigger audience.

Among the inaugural orators was political scientist James
Gomez, the author of a book on the self-censoring nature of
Singaporeans, who welcomed the opportunity to speak in public
even though there were restrictions.

"It symbolizes the lifting of a psychological veil," said
Gomez wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of Malaysia's jailed
ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

"If nobody was here, I think I'll be frightened when I spoke.
But since I see many people here I should be comfortable," he
told AFP.

Although the Speakers' Corner was supposedly patterned on
London's famed free-speech haven in Hyde Park, the government
imposed a raft of restrictions.

Speeches of a religious nature are banned, as are those which
incite racial hatred.

Only Singaporean citizens are allowed to speak and they must
use one of Singapore's four official languages -- Malay,
Mandarin, Tamil and English.

The use of microphones and musical instruments is banned, and
speakers have been warned to abide by laws against sedition.

Gomez took the government to task for banning the use of
microphones, complained that few shops were prepared to sell his
book and criticized the high salaries for state officials.

"We are the shareholders," he said, likening government
officials to a company's board of directors of a company.

"We as the shareholders have the right to fire them. But right
now the shareholders are structured in a way that they have no
power," he said.

Yaw Shin Leong, project director of a group called Think
Center, said he was bothered by the growing pool of "foreign
talents" in Singapore.

Standing on a bench in the tree-lined Hong Lim Park which
borders the financial district, the 24-year-old said he felt
displaced.

"I have nothing against foreign talents but I do not feel
comfortable having them around. How talented are these foreign
talents?" he asked, straining his voice to be heard by the
handful of onlookers.

"There is a lack of local talent in Singapore so how do you
propose to solve the problem?" asked an elderly by-stander, one
of the few people prepared to interject.

To some listeners, it was a good start towards free speech in
tightly regulated Singapore. Others were not amused.

"It's like a coffee shop," said an office worker, who asked
not to be named. "You can listen to these things in the coffee
shop."

A real estate broker said the government should listen because
the speakers' corner provided an avenue for people with pent-up
frustrations.

"They (government officials) can get a better feel of the
people's pulse here," the broker told AFP. "For whatever it is
worth, I think this is a good start."

An opinion survey taken two weeks before the speakers' corner
opened found an overwhelming 93 percent of Singaporeans would
rather remain silent than publicly criticize the government.

Gomez said he would give the corner two months before making a
firm assessment. "Today is the just the first day. Let's take
stock after a couple of months," he said.