PAP’s Marine Parade team splurged RM1.28m on Singapore polls campaign despite walkover, seven candidates spent nothing

SINGAPORE, May 30 – The People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Marine Parade-Braddell Heights team spent S$388,756 (RM1.28 million) during the recent general election, despite winning uncontested, according to the Elections Department’s website.

CNA reported that the five-member team was among the first 35 candidates to declare their expenses for the May 3 election, and the first group from PAP to do so.

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights candidate Goh Pei Ming was the top spender with S$104,085, of which S$52,650 went to non-online advertisements. Former MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling spent S$84,128.

Rounding out the team were Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng (S$74,693), new MP Diana Pang (S$74,437), and former Nee Soon MP Faishal Ibrahim (S$51,413), with the majority of their expenses directed at posters and flyers.

Among their materials was a 48-page constituency plan brochure featuring Dr Tan See Leng, who switched to contest Chua Chu Kang Group Representative Constituency (GRC) in a last-minute change from his 2020 Marine Parade candidacy.

Candidates must declare their expenses by June 16 to ensure transparency, with limits raised from S$4 to S$5 per elector to adjust for inflation.

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) reported strong early spending, with ten of its 13 candidates each spending over S$30,000. Leong Mun Wai led the party’s spending at S$36,041 for his West Coast-Jurong West campaign.

Independent candidates Jeremy Tan and Darryl Lo spent S$16,075 and S$12,213 respectively, with Tan allocating more than half to his solo rally.

Red Dot United’s (RDU) Kala Manickam recorded S$1,365 in disputed claims, covering food, transport, and flyer costs, which she paid out-of-pocket due to a lack of donations.

RDU said its election expense processes followed electoral regulations. Disputed claims arise when an election agent does not settle a candidate’s expenses within 28 days.

Lower spenders included RDU’s Ben Puah, who declared S$109 in expenses and S$280 in non-recordable donations, and the People’s Power Party’s Samuel Lee, who spent S$100.

Seven candidates reported spending nothing at all, including members from RDU, the Singapore Democratic Party, the Singapore Democratic Alliance, and the Singapore People’s Party.