Public Order (Unrestricted Area — Speakers’ Corner) Order 2023

No. S 606

Public Order Act 2009

Public Order
(Unrestricted Area —
Speakers’ Corner) Order 2023

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 14(1) of the Public Order Act 2009, the Minister for Home Affairs makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1. This Order is the Public Order (Unrestricted Area — Speakers’ Corner) Order 2023 and comes into operation on 2 September 2023 at 8 a.m.

Definitions

2.—(1) In this Order —

“company” means a company incorporated in Singapore under the Companies Act 1967;

“real‑time transmission”, in relation to the act of public speaking at an assembly or a procession, means the simultaneous audio or visual transmission, through the Internet or other form of communication network, to the place of that assembly or procession, of the act of public speaking at another place, including any reasonable period of delay, due to any technical or other reason, between the act of public speaking and the audio or visual transmission of such act;

“recording” means any disc, magnetic tape or solid state recording device containing information by the use of which sound (whether or not accompanied by images) may be produced electronically;

“Singapore‑controlled corporation” means a body corporate incorporated under any written law in Singapore —

(a)	with a management body (whether called an executive or board of directors or otherwise), the majority of whose members (whether called directors, partners or otherwise) are citizens of Singapore; and
(b)	with a majority of members who are specified persons or, in the case of a company having a share capital, the majority of whose shares are held by specified persons;

“Singapore‑controlled partnership” means —

(a)

a partnership registered under the Business Names Registration Act 2014 in Singapore, the majority of whose partners are specified persons; or

(b)

a limited partnership registered under the Limited Partnerships Act 2008 in Singapore —

(i)	the majority of whose general partners as defined in that Act are specified persons; and
(ii)	the majority of whose limited partners as defined in that Act are specified persons;

“Singapore‑controlled unincorporated association” means an unincorporated association formed in Singapore under any written law —

(a)	with a management body (whether called a committee or council or otherwise), the majority of whose officers are citizens of Singapore; and
(b)	the majority of whose members are specified persons;

“Singapore entity” means a Singapore‑controlled corporation, a Singapore‑controlled partnership or a Singapore‑controlled unincorporated association;

“Speakers’ Corner area” means the area designated by paragraph 3;

“specified person” means a citizen of Singapore or a Singapore entity.

(2) This Order applies to and in relation to an assembly or a procession, whether or not it is held in combination with a play‑reading, recital, performance or an exhibition.

Unrestricted area

3. The public place known as Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park and described in the Schedule (called in this Order the Speakers’ Corner area) is designated to be an area where assemblies or processions may be held without a notice being given or a permit being granted under section 6 or 7 of the Act.

Conditions for public speaking

4.—(1) An individual who engages in public speaking at an assembly or a procession in the Speakers’ Corner area must —

(a)	be a citizen of Singapore; and
(b)	comply with all the conditions stated in sub‑paragraph (2).

(2) For the purpose of sub‑paragraph (1)(b), the conditions are as follows:

(a)

the individual must not, while engaging in public speaking in the Speakers’ Corner area —

(i)	speak about a matter that relates, directly or indirectly, to any religious belief or to religion generally; or
(ii)	speak about a matter, or a matter in a way, that may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill‑will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore;

(b)

the individual must, while engaging in public speaking in the Speakers’ Corner area, use only an official language of Singapore or a related dialect;

(c)

the individual must not, at any time before, during or after engaging in public speaking in the Speakers’ Corner area, display or exhibit, or cause to be displayed or exhibited, any banner, flag, poster, placard, photograph, film, sign, writing or other visual representation or paraphernalia, containing violent, lewd or obscene material.

(3) An individual who fails to comply with sub‑paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(4) In this paragraph —

(a)

“public speaking” includes —

(i)	giving a lecture, talk or address; or
(ii)	participating in a public debate or discussion; and

(b)

an individual “engages in public speaking” in the Speakers’ Corner area if —

(i)	the individual speaks in person in the Speakers’ Corner area;
(ii)	the individual speaks in person elsewhere (whether in or outside Singapore and whether in a public or private place) and his or her speaking is, by real‑time transmission, exhibited or played in a manner as to be capable of being seen or heard by any other individual in the Speakers’ Corner area;
(iii)	a recording of the individual’s public speaking is exhibited or played in a manner as to be capable of being seen or heard by any other individual in the Speakers’ Corner area; or
(iv)	the individual does any combination of activities in sub‑paragraph (i), (ii) or (iii).

Conditions for organisers of assemblies and processions

5.—(1) A person who organises an assembly or a procession in the Speakers’ Corner area must —

(a)	be a specified person; and
(b)	comply with all the conditions stated in sub‑paragraph (2).

(2) For the purpose of sub‑paragraph (1)(b), the conditions are as follows:

(a)

the person must ensure that —

(i)	the assembly or procession does not deal with a matter that relates, directly or indirectly, to any religious belief or to religion generally; or
(ii)	the assembly or procession is not about a matter, or is not conducted in a way, that may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill‑will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore;

(b)

the person, or an authorised agent of the person, must be present at all times during the assembly or procession;

(c)

the person, or an authorised agent of the person, must ensure that only citizens of Singapore or permanent residents of Singapore participate in the assembly or procession;

(d)

the person must not, at any time before, during or after the assembly or procession, display or exhibit, or cause to be displayed or exhibited, any banner, flag, poster, placard, photograph, film, sign, writing or other visual representation or paraphernalia, containing violent, lewd or obscene material.

(3) A person that fails to comply with sub‑paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Conditions for participants in assemblies and processions

6.—(1) An individual who participates in an assembly or a procession in the Speakers’ Corner area —

(a)	must be a citizen of Singapore or a permanent resident of Singapore; and
(b)	must not, at any time before, during or after the assembly or procession, display or exhibit, or cause to be displayed or exhibited, any banner, flag, poster, placard, photograph, film, sign, writing or other visual representation or paraphernalia, containing violent, lewd or obscene material.

(2) An individual who fails to comply with sub‑paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction —

(a)	to a fine not exceeding $3,000; or
(b)	where the individual is a repeat offender, to a fine not exceeding $5,000.

(3) For the purposes of sub‑paragraph (2)(b), an individual is a repeat offender in relation to an offence under sub‑paragraph (2) if the individual who is convicted, or found guilty, of an offence under that provision —

(a)	has been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under sub‑paragraph (2);
(b)	has (whether before, on or after 30 March 2015) been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under paragraph 4(3) of the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2013 (G.N. No. S 30/2013);
(c)	has (whether before, on or after 12 September 2015) been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under paragraph 5(2) of the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2015 (G.N. No. S 158/2015);
(d)	has (whether before, on or after 8 May 2016) been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under paragraph 5(2) of the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) (No. 2) Order 2015 (G.N. No. S 552/2015);
(e)	has (whether before, on or after 14 July 2020) been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under paragraph 5(2) of the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2016 (G.N. No. S 208/2016); or
(f)	has (whether before, on or after 22 August 2023) been convicted or found guilty on at least one other earlier occasion of an offence under paragraph 5(3) of the Public Order (Unrestricted Area — Speakers’ Corner) Order 2020 (G.N. No. S 552/2020).

Saving

7. Nothing in this Order limits or affects the operation of any other written law.

Made on 30 August 2023.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[112/2/0108; AG/LEGIS/SL/257A/2020/5 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 14(5) of the Public Order Act 2009).

Search within Legislation