Non-Online Advertising Took Up the Majority of His Campaign Budget, Raising Over S$800,000 in Donations
President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s presidential campaign costs totaled S$738,717, the highest among the candidates. The bulk of the expenditure went towards election advertising, with S$481,226 allocated for non-online materials such as posters and banners. An additional S$141,865 was spent on online advertising, including S$68,040 for social media promotions.
His campaign also raised S$800,000 in donations from seven individuals. The largest contributors were businessman Koh Poh Tiong and Venture Corp CEO Wong Ngit Liong, who each donated S$200,000. Other notable donors included Singapore Exchange CEO Loh Boon Chye and finance veteran Hsieh Fu Hua. Any leftover campaign funds will be returned to the donors proportionally.
Tharman’s total campaign spending was within the limit of S$812,822.10 set by the Presidential Elections Act. His opponents, Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian, reported spending much less. Ng’s campaign, for instance, spent S$312,131, mostly on online advertising, while Tan’s campaign spent only S$71,366, focusing mainly on posters and stickers.
