There has been no response to the July 18 application to stage a rally on August 26, SDP vice chairman Cheo Chai Chen said in a statement.

"Is it necessary to take more than three weeks to decide on whether to issue the licence ... or is the government deliberately trying to delay the licence to make it harder for the SDP to organise and publicise the rally?" he said.

"Given the seriousness of the economic troubles that Singapore is undergoing, and that the general election is due to be held soon, this rally will be critical for the SDP to gets it message across to the people."

Approval for political rallies is rare in the strictly-governed city-state where the government has been accused of restricting freedom of speech.

A fund-raiser for veteran opposition MP J.B. Jeyaretnam earlier this year, which took seven weeks to get a permit, was believed to be the first opposition rally approved outside an election period in Singapore.

The next general election is due by August 2002, but is widely expected to be held early.

Singapore politics have been dominated by the People's Action Party throughout the republic's 36 year history.

In the current government there are 89 government MPs and just two on the opposition benches, after Jeyaretnam was declared bankrupt.