SINGAPORE — It was a protest about the various problems faced in Singapore, from labour policies and stagnant wages to human rights and Singapore’s low fertility rate.

It was also the second time that Hong Lim Park saw the crowds gather to hear speakers rail against the People’s Action Party (PAP) Government. The first protest, about the White Paper on Population, was in February.

Among the 11 who spoke yesterday was former presidential hopeful Tan Jee Say. who told the crowd that the White Paper was a ruse to keep the PAP in power. His rationale: That naturalised citizens would be indebted to the PAP and would vote for the party.

He called on Singaporeans to vote for change at the next General Election: “The PAP will scare you and tell you that the Opposition has no experience and is not ready to form a government. The fact is that the Opposition today is more ready than the PAP was in 1959.”

Labour issues also came to the fore during the afternoon protest. More can be done to help local Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) in the form of equal opportunities and better wages, said Mr Darren Lai, one of the speakers.

Mr Lai, 42, a graduate who termed himself an underemployed PMET, said: “So many PMETs face underemployment, doing jobs that do not fully utilise their tertiary education training or are not fully relevant to their qualifications.”

This, he said, was because of the intense competition they face from an influx of skilled foreign manpower.

While he pointed out statistics from 2010 that 80 per cent of PMET jobs are held by Singaporeans or permanent residents, Mr Lai said that PMETs face stagnating wages as the cost of living increases.

Other speakers included lawyer M Ravi and migrant worker activist Jolovan Wham. Former ex-co member of the Association of Muslim Professionals, Mr Nizam Ismail, who pulled out as a speaker two days before the event, was spotted among the crowd.

Mr Nizam would only say that he came to lend his support, while protest organiser Gilbert Goh, a career counsellor and founder of the transitioning.org website, told reporters that he plans to make the event at Speakers’ Corner an annual Labour Day affair.

The protest was not the only activity at the venue yesterday: A mass picnic was held in the morning to forge stronger community ties. Its organisers, StandUp For Our Singapore (StandUp), also hope to hold more of their kind of community events, especially on public holidays.

Some 200 people mingled together at the picnic while participating in a variety of games with the aim of getting to know one another better.

“StandUp has struck a chord with some folks who believe that it’s okay to want to see more happiness and spread some joy,” said Mr Wally Tham, a member of the group formed last July and comprising 12 members.

“Sometimes, some can get cynical about these things ... Sometimes, trusting and being happy together is a small way of fixing stuff.” Additional reporting by Vimita Mohandas