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.