Lee Hsien Yang’s eldest son Li Shengwu’s latest Facebook post on the Oxley Road dispute seems to suggest that the family feud which gripped headlines recently may be far from over.
In June 2017, a private feud between founding Prime Minister’s children Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang spilled into the public domain when the younger Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang accused their elder brother, the Prime Minister of Singapore, of 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.
According to a local website, Shengwu linked a Wall Street Journal article on his Facebook, commenting that the article can be a good summary on the dispute for those who may have been watching the saga unfold from a distance.
The Wall Street Journal article offered a thorough analysis of the saga, its consequences and implications.
Shengwu added:
“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.