Speakers' Corner has just celebrated its third birthday, but the fact that it still exists does not really say much about the state of free speech in Singapore.
Loosely modelled on its namesake in London's Hyde Park and tucked away in a forgotten little park near the central business district's skyscrapers, the soapbox venue to air views can hardly qualify as a success.
Hong Lim Park was chosen as a symbol - it used to be a political battleground in the late 1950s.
But nowadays, it only attracts a handful of regular speakers with a meagre crowd of less than 20 on weekdays, and it has certainly not stuck in the collective mind as a place to express one's opinion.
Indeed, according to a police spokesman, the number of speakers who registered has nearly halved, falling from 365 in the 12 months to August last year, to 177 for the 12 months to this August.
Speakers' Corner is saddled with restrictions: loudspeakers are outlawed, 'opening time' is confined to the hot daytimes (7am to 7pm), only Singaporeans are allowed to speak and they must avoid offensive topics (like race or religion) that could incite violence.