For the past few days, the crisis in Sri Lanka has become intensely personal for Singaporeans.
This is mostly due to the fact that former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is now in Singapore, fleeing protests over poor economic conditions in Sri Lanka.
His actions have led to ire from many, especially with Sri Lanka now in dire financial straits.
Former Peoples Voice (PV) candidate in the 2020 General Election Prabu Ramachandran thus hosted a protest at Speakers’ Corner. However, the protest reportedly had only one attendee, causing him to end the event way ahead of schedule.
Mr Prabu has attributed the small attendance to a ‘climate of fear’, even though he reassured many that the protest was legal.
On Saturday (16 Jul), Mr Prabu hosted a protest in Speaker’s Corner against the ousted president staying in Singapore.
Source: Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook
According to The Straits Time (ST), the event was initially slated to run from 4pm to 6pm. However, Mr Prabu ended up cancelling it early after half an hour due to low turnout.
Besides the organiser himself, the only other attendee of the protest was Leong Sze Hian, also a former PV candidate.
Source: Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook
During the event, both Mr Prabu and Mr Leong addressed the controversy of Rajapaksa’s stay in Singapore.
“He is unwanted. He is a politically exposed person. Unlike what has been said, he is not just another Sri Lankan with a passport. Why are we taking him in?” Mr Prabu asked.
He added,
Someone ought to speak about this, about the message that we are sending to the rest of the world and the international community by having Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa here.
Mr Leong also spoke during the event, questioning the circumstances around Mr Rajapaksa’s retirement in Singapore.
The protest was also livestreamed on Facebook, with around 20 viewers, ST reported.
Addressing the poor turnout for the protest, Mr Prabu attributed it to a ‘climate of fear’ in Singapore.
Source: Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook
He confirmed that all who organised the protest abided by the rules and regulations set by the National Parks Board (NParks). Both he and Mr Leong are not under investigation for any violation of the law.
He noted that during his 12 years of being on the frontlines of social activism, he has not gotten into any conflict with authorities.
“We have to drop this climate of fear… basically scared of anything and everything attitude,” he said.
Even though Singapore Police Force (SPF) had issued repeated warnings of legal action against those participating in illegal public assemblies, Mr Prabu said the protest he had organised was within the confines of the law.
As such, members of the public could have attended it without fear of suffering any form of penalty.
Rajapaksa’s arrival in Singapore has been a contentious issue since news of Sri Lanka’s political instability dominated headlines.
While many Singaporeans have divisive views about him entering the country, they are also understandably wary as police have given warnings regarding participating in illegal protests.
Regardless, social activism is allowed in Singapore. And there is only one place where citizens can engage freely in political open-air public speeches and hold demonstrations — Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park.
Voices can still be heard without fear of being clamped down by authorities.
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Featured image adapted from Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook & Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Facebook.
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