Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption) Order 2013

Status:

Published in Subsidiary Legislation Supplement
on 25 Jan 2013

No. S 31

Public Entertainments and Meetings Act

(CHAPTER 257)

Public Entertainments and Meetings
(Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption)
Order 2013

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 of the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, the Minister for Home Affairs hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption) Order 2013 and shall come into operation on 27th January 2013.

Definitions

2. In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires —

“public speaking” means any play-reading, or recital (without any lecture, talk, address, debate, discussion or demonstration), for which a licence is required under the Act if not for this Order;

“Speakers’ Corner” means the area in Hong Lim Park and delineated in the Schedule.

Exemption

3.—(1) Public speaking at the Speakers’ Corner by any person who is a citizen of Singapore is exempted from the provisions of the Act if the following conditions are complied with:

(a)

the person does not deal with any matter —

(i)	which relates, directly or indirectly, to any religious belief or to religion generally; or
(ii)	which may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore;

(b)

the person speaks using only any of the 4 official languages in Singapore, or any related dialect; and

(c)

no placard, banner, poster, photograph or film which contains any violent, lewd or obscene material is displayed or exhibited by the person, whether before, during or after the public speaking.

(2) A performance or an exhibition at the Speakers’ Corner without any lecture, talk, address, debate, discussion or demonstration and that is organised by any person who is a citizen of Singapore is exempted from the provisions of the Act if the following conditions are complied with:

(a)

there are only citizens and permanent residents of Singapore participating in the performance or exhibition;

(b)

the organiser, or an authorised agent of the organiser, is present at all times during the performance or exhibition, as the case may be;

(c)

the performance or exhibition does not deal with any matter —

(i)	which relates, directly or indirectly, to any religious belief or to religion generally; or
(ii)	which may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore; and

(d)

no placard, banner, poster, photograph or film which contains any violent, lewd or obscene material is displayed or exhibited by the organiser of or any person participating in the performance or exhibition, whether before, during or after the performance or exhibition.

Saving

4. Nothing in this Order shall be construed to limit or in any way affect the operation of any other written law.

Made this 23rd day of January 2013.

TAN TEE HOW

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[MHA 44/4/01; AG/LLRD/SL/257/2010/7 Vol. 1]

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