 The creation of Speakers ' Corner has been criticized as a governmental concession to free speech which remains fairly restrictive . The number of events staged at the venue has gone down over the years ; this has been attributed to the prevalence of more widespread , effective and convenient communication channels such as television programmes , and the Internet and its online fora . In the words of Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong , Speakers ' Corner has been " playing the same role as envisaged – mostly dormant but good to have " . 
