SINGAPORE: The Government has issued a correction order under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) to Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s son, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, for alleged falsehoods made in a Facebook criticising his estranged elder brother, current PM Lee Hsien Loong.
The POFMA Office said today (25 July) that the post, which was published two days prior, contains “false statements of fact” pertaining to the Ridout Road rentals and the exaggerated circulation numbers scandal involving Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
Revealing that it was the Law Ministry that sought the correction order, the POFMA Office said:
“First, the post makes the statement that the State paid for the renovations to 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. This is untrue.
“The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the decision on the works to be carried out on the properties. The post omits important information that the works done were in keeping with Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) practice, and were assessed to be necessary in the circumstances, as explained by the Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.”
The Government added that the SLA invests a significant amount in maintaining conserved properties and has spent similar, or even larger, amounts on other Black and White bungalows. It clarified, “Most of the costs incurred for 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were for works that external consultants had determined to be necessary, in light of the condition of the properties and to comply with the relevant conservation requirements.
The remaining costs were incurred as part of the usual works done before the commencement of a tenancy to ensure that the property is habitable.”
The POFMA Office added, “Second, the post makes the statement that trees at 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by Ministers Shanmugam and Balakrishnan. This is untrue.
The identity of the tenants had no bearing on the felling of the trees at the properties. All decisions to fell trees with a girth size of more than one metre were made following inspections by independent arborists, and safety issues were identified. Where approval was required for any trees to be felled, such approval was obtained from the National Parks Board (NParks). The reasons for the felling of the trees at both properties have been explained by the Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong in Parliament on 3 July 2023.”
The Government also took issue with how Mr Lee Hsien Yang had characterised SPH’s exaggerated numbers scandal. In his post, Mr Lee appeared to imply that the scandal occurred after SPH was restructured into SPH Media Trust and was selected to receive almost a billion in Government funding.
The POFMA Office said: “The post makes the statement that SPH Media Trust (SMT) fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers. This is untrue.
The overstatement of circulation numbers happened when the media business was under SPH Limited – a listed company. This was before SMT was incorporated. When SMT took over SPH Limited’s media business, it discovered, reported, and investigated the circulation issue.
The Government’s funding agreement to build up public service media capabilities was signed with SMT, and not SPH Limited. The funding quantum was based on SMT’s transformation needs, and not the circulation numbers.”
Mr Lee is required to comply with the Correction Direction by publishing a correction notice on top of his original post, providing access to the “correct facts.” He is not required to take down his post or make edits to the content.
Mr Lee has been estranged from PM Lee since at least 2017 after a bitter dispute over their father’s last wishes spilled into the public domain.
In his contentious Facebook post last weekend, Mr Lee denounced faith in his elder brother’s regime, pointing to a spate of recent scandals that have gripped headlines.
Asserting that trust in his brother and his late father’s party, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), “has been shattered”, he said: “Trust has to be earned. It cannot simply be inherited.”
He added, “Wei Ling and I stated in June 2017 that “We do not trust Lee Hsien Loong as a brother or as a leader.” These latest facts speak volumes. Hsien Loong’s regime does not deserve Singaporeans’ trust.”
Lee Hsien Yang says scandals have shattered people’s trust in PM Lee’s regime