Plenary Session 2: Freedom of Speech - Contextualized or Circumscribed
Moderator
Dr Kevin Tan – Adjunct Professor (Faculty of Law), National University of Singapore
Panellists
Choo Zheng Xi – Director, Peter Low & Choo LLC
Prof. David Tan – Professor (Faculty of Law), National University of Singapore
The freedom of speech is enshrined in Article 14(1)(a) of Singapore’s Constitution. However, this freedom is not without limit. Article 14(2)(a) permits Parliament to impose restrictions on the freedom of speech in the interests of, amongst others, Singapore’s security, public order and morality, and protecting against contempt of court or defamation.
The scope of Article 14 is an issue that has come to the fore in recent times as new legislation has been passed to address the interests set out therein, but which simultaneously impact on the freedom of speech in Singapore. In particular, the Protection from Online Falsehood and Manipulation Bill (Bill No. 10/2019) has provoked a significant amount of discussion, both in Parliament and in the public forum. Recently, the courts have also issued the first decisions interpreting the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016, such as PT Sandipala Arthaputra v STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and others [2018] 4 SLR 828, and Attorney-General v Wham Kwok Han Jolovan and another matter [2018] SGHC 222.
This panel will discuss these recent developments in Singapore’s law, relooking the freedom of speech as set out in Article 14 of the Constitution, and examining how it has been recrafted or circumscribed in the context of Singapore as a society and nation.