Speaking in parliament yesterday, Nov 26, Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law, said that the country's free-speech rules were applied with a "light touch" and remained essential in a multi-racial society.

"Public talks, especially if they touch on politics, religion and race, can give rise to law and order problems," he said in response to a question from Steve Chia, an opposition politician.

"Speeches can become inflammatory, eliciting disaffection. People of different political persuasions, religious inclinations or racial groups in the crowd may hurl abuse, first verbal and then physical, at each other," he added.

"In other words, a public talk on even an innocuous topic may become unruly or degenerate into mob violence, if troublemakers are at work," Mr Ho said.

Under Singapore's Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, the police must approve all public gatherings. Officials introduced a so-called Speaker's Corner in a downtown park about two years ago, but users must register with the police before speaking and avoid mentioning race or religion.

Mr Ho's comments form part of an ongoing national dialogue on how tightly regulated Singapore society should be.

Although the People's Action Party government - which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965 - concedes that some relaxation may be needed, it appears reluctant to enact substantive reform.

Mr Ho said only a handful of applications for talks were rejected, either because they were late or the police felt that the intended venue was unsuitable.

"Between 2001 and November 2002, police approved 1341 applications and rejected only five applications for public talks," he said.

                                                    Home