A wave of support from netizens washed in after Li Shengwu, Lee Hsien Yang’s oldest son, announced that he had donated to both the Workers’ Party (WP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

On Saturday (Jun 27), Mr Li wrote in a Facebook post: “I’ve just donated to the Workers’ Party and the Progress Singapore Party. Singapore needs a strong opposition to prevent abuse of power”.

His post only had one comment, from one Emma Pierson who said: “Amazing that your uncle is still prosecuting you over a Facebook post. I hope this election brings change for the better”.

Mr Lee, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s brother, also shared the same post adding: “Support the opposition”.

Last week, Mr Lee announced over breakfast with PSP Chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock that he was a member of the party.

Mr Lee’s post drew almost 400 comments from netizens who urged both father and son to join the PSP and to contest in the upcoming elections.

Many also asked for both father and son to contest in Tanjong Pagar under the PSP’s umbrella.

The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew entered into Singaporean politics through the Communist Party of Malaya. He formed the socialist PAP in an expedient alliance with the pro-communist trade unionists. This alliance was described by Lee as a marriage of convenience since his English-speaking group needed the Chinese-speaking majority’s mass support base. Their common aim was to struggle for self-government and put an end to British colonial rule.

The push for his son and grandson to contest in Tanjong Pagar came because Mr Lee Kuan Yew won the Tanjong Pagar seat in the 1955 elections. He became the opposition leader against the David Saul Marshall’s Labour Front-led coalition government. /TISG

Read related: Netizen asks: “I wonder what LKY would have said if he is told his son joins the opposition party?”