National Day Rally 2024: Singapore to review rules and processes to reduce regulatory burden for businesses

SINGAPORE: Previously, to put up a drone show in Singapore, organisers had to get a permit, register every single drone and put a sticker on each drone.

With some shows using over 1,000 drones, this meant more than 1,000 stickers and over S$25,000 (US$18,970) in compliance costs, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18). 

While there are valid reasons to register drones – such as for aviation security and safety – the risks are more manageable for shows held within a pre-approved area. 

“So after receiving this feedback, we streamlined the process,” said Mr Wong. “Now you only need one permit for a show, regardless of how many drones you use … And no more stickers.” 

A show using 1,000 drones now incurs just S$500 in compliance costs.

He was making a point on the importance of keeping the regulatory burden to a minimum and ensuring a business-friendly environment in Singapore. 

Noting that more can be done in this area, Mr Wong said he has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong to oversee a “thorough and proactive review of our rules and processes, and prune them back where possible”.

Mr Wong said he also wanted to be fair to regulators doing their jobs.

“Each time an incident happens, be it an injury at a workplace, or a food poisoning outbreak, the regulators come under great pressure to tighten the rules further,” he said. 

“Each new rule may seem small, but the small changes add up.”