Twenty one
Malay nationals were arrested at Speakers Corner in Singapore yesterday. I know
this because I saw it on the news. They were protesting about the result of the
recent election results in Malaysia. They were not happy but from what I can
gather they were not rowdy in their protests. They simply gathered in a group
and were quietly voicing their displeasure.
The original
Speakers Corner is located in Hyde Park in London. It was established in the
late nineteenth entry to allow for British citizens to exercise their freedom
of speech in a public domain. I have been there on a number of times before and
I have witnessed all manner of lunatics standing up on boxes and speaking their
mind.
It was very
entertaining.
Great and
significant orators such as George Orwell and Karl Marx have made magnificent
speeches at the English Speakers Corner however I was not there to witness
these speeches. I am not that old.
The Singapore
equivalent Of Speakers Corner is located in the Hong Lim Park just outside the
central business district of Singapore and was established on the first of
September in the year 2000. I have been there on a number of occasions but have
I never seen anyone actually speaking. Publically speaking that is – I have
witnessed groups of people having normal everyday conversations there.
As with many
things in Singapore there are a number of rules and regulations that apply to
speaking at Speakers Corner and these are listed under the Public Entertainments
and Speaking Act.
I thought I
would wander down there this morning to see if there was any more action with
Malay Protesters. I am a bit of a fan of civil unrest and it is not something that
you see very often here in Singapore. I have never seen it actually.
When I arrived
at the park I was a bit surprised to see that it was surrounded by a dozen or
so very heavily armed policemen. They were all carrying enormous machine guns
and they were looking very serious. I strolled nonchalantly into the park and
approached a quite elderly officer. He was the only one not carrying a
machine gun and he looked as if he was in charge.
"Good
morning uncle" I announced.
"Are
you expecting trouble?"
"Maybe" he grunted.
"Malays?" I enquired.
"Perhaps" he replied.
"You
will shoot them?"
"No"
"I
would like to give a protest speech about the English. Can?"
"You
have a permit?"
"I do
not"
"Then
cannot"
"Cannot?" I asked.
"Cannot"
he repeated.
"But
there is no-one here to listen" I retorted.
"It
would be like speaking to myself"
"Cannot"
"OK
what if I sat on the lawn over there and spoke quietly to myself. Can?
"You
have a permit?"
"I do
not"
"Then
cannot"
I was a bit
worried about the guys with the guns so I decided that pursuing the matter any further
was both futile and also potentially dangerous. I am also quite OK protesting
about the English direct to the English in my own office for I do this on a daily
basis anyway.
Anyone who
would like to speak at Speakers Corner here in Singapore must register their
intention to speak at the Kreta Ayer Police Station no less than thirty days
before they intend speaking. Under the legislation only Singaporean citizens or
permanent residents of Singapore are allowed to speak. As a guest of Singapore who
is working here on an Employment Pass I am ineligible to publicly voice my
opinions or protest or demonstrate at Speakers Corner.
Even about the
English or even with a permit.
The use of
banners, flags, photographs, signs or writing is prohibited and people making
speeches can only do so in one of the four official languages of Singapore.
These are English, Mandarin, Tamil or Malay. Speeches are not permitted that deal
with any subject that relate to religion or race. Topics that may cause
feelings of "enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility" are also not
permitted and no political demonstrations are allowed.
Otherwise
complete and utter freedom of speech is permissible.
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