SINGAPORE — The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) needs close to S$1 million to fund its General Election (GE) campaign, and is still half a million away from its target, it revealed during its fourth outreach session on Wednesday (June 17).

Emcee Craig Teo told some 1,200 people who tuned in to the session on Facebook Live and video conferencing tool Zoom that the party has already raised half a million but will need more as taking part in the GE is a “very expensive affair”.

Among other things, the money will be spent on printing posters, banners and flyers, he noted.

In GE2015, People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates spent some S$5.3 million on the 89 seats it contested, while the expenses of the eight opposition parties totalled close to S$1.8 million. The Workers’ Party, which contested 28 of 89 seats in that election, spent about S$730,000.

PSP secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock, a former PAP Member of Parliament of 26 years, had appealed for donations at the close of its third outreach session last week, saying the party is “short of finances”.

The 80-year-old retired medical practitioner said then: “We need some funding, because running an election of this magnitude is not an easy task.”

Shortly after Wednesday’s session, which ended at 10pm, the PSP posted an appeal for funds on its Facebook page. It listed ways Singaporeans can contribute, such as via PayNow or a cheque.

During the session, it announced three more new faces: Singapore Airlines pilot Terence Soon, who turns 30 in a few weeks, Mr Damien Tay, 51, a customer service manager, and Ms Kala Manickam, 53, an adult educator.