Li Shengwu’s last Facebook post has attracted the attention of the Attorney-General’s Chambers after he criticised Singapore’s government and the court system in a Facebook post over the weekend.
Linking a Wall Street Journal article that offered a thorough analysis of the public Oxley Rd feud, Shengwu had said in his own words: “Keep in mind, of course that the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system. This constrains what the international media can usually report.”
He then linked a New York Times article on censorship and the use of defamation laws by both Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Hsien Loong to censor the foreign press.
In responding to media queries, an AGC spokesperson said, “AGC is aware of the post and is looking into the matter.”
Shengwu hit back at the AGC and mainstream media’s coverage of his post:
Somewhat surprised that my last Facebook post has been enough to trigger a response from the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Singapore.
This post was shared on “Friends only” privacy settings on Saturday (20 likes at the time of this writing). Apparently, that’s enough to warrant three newspaper articles and a statement by the Attorney-General’s Chambers that they’re “looking into it”.
I’m surprised that the Singapore government is so petty. Would they also like to trawl my private Facebook feed for seditious vacation photos?
(By the way – the official media inaccurately reports that the post was “uploaded on Saturday and later taken down”. It’s never been taken down – if you’re among my Facebook friends you can see it just below this one.)
Somewhat surprised that my last Facebook post has been enough to trigger a response from the Attorney-General's Chambers…
Posted by Shengwu Li on Sunday, 16 July 2017
Shengwu’s father and paternal aunt, Dr Lee Wei Ling, have been embroiled in a public dispute against their elder brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, since June 2017, when they alleged that the PM was abusing his power to preserve their family home against their father’s willed desire to demolish the house.
The siblings alleged that the PM had convened a secret committee to make a decision on the house and that state organs were being used against them. PM Lee addressed the allegations against him in a Parliamentary debate where he declared that he has been cleared of all charges. He added that he does not intend to sue his siblings.
Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang reinforced their allegations, following this, but offered a ceasefire on releasing further evidence in favor of settling the matter in private, on the condition that they nor their father’s will be attacked or misrepresented.
When the first round of allegations were leveled at the PM in June, Shengwu publicly echoed concerns made by his immediate family that they are worried about what they believe to be a lack of checks on abuse of power.
He later denounced any personal interest in entering the political arena, stating, “I believe that it would be bad for Singapore if any third-generation Lee went into politics. The country must be bigger than one family.”