Netizens slam Indranee Rajah’s questions on Lee Kuan Yew’s last will

Senior Minister of State (SMOS) for Law Indranee Rajah had on 24 June, raised several questions on the last will of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Chronicling the events of the day that the last will was signed, Ms Rajah asked how the last will came about, who drafted the last will and how LKY got to sign the will.

SMOS’s post was shared over 240 times and drew a flurry of comments. All the commenters on her post with the most number of likes, slammed her opinion. The following are some of the views of these commenters.

Simon Teo: Dear Mdm, are you trying to say that MM LKY was not sane enough to read through his will properly before he signed? I would be very surprised that an experience lawyer like him would make a blunder. I certainly do not hope that your image of MM Lee is that of a senile man who can’t make his own decision. That will be sad if it’s true. God bless you then.

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Bhavan Jaipragas: SMS, these are indeed important questions Mr Lee Hsien Yang has to answer. I’ll pose a few questions here in public that perhaps will come in handy when you/your government colleagues speak in parliament on July 3. I think they are some of the key issues that we in the media would like more light shone on.

1) Probate was granted in October 2015 without a challenge from the PM. Why didn’t he make a legal challenge on the above mentioned issues at that time? Wouldn’t he have been able to do so in-camera?
2) Did the PM sign a settlement agreement with Mr Lee Hsien Yang on these or other issues?
3) Thirdly, judging from the online comments on this matter — it will be very useful if the government on July 3 reveals the date the ministerial committee was first convened, and its complete terms of reference.

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Yc de Wai: It appears you are just a whisker away from alleging fraud. Your leader has to challenge in a competent court why the last will is invalid, not repeating what he believes to be a fraud to maybe 70% of population through his subordinates in Parliament. Certainly not us all to judge really if the Will is valid. The Ministerial Committee cannot investigate if there was a fraud, by “understanding what Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s thinking on the House was.” It is accepted that the last Will is binding. If there is an alleged conflict of interest, LHL would be in the best position to challenge the validity of the will, and this would be a private matter to be brought about by a private citizen.

Now, this is a public matter, as the integrity of the government is in question against the evidences by LHY and LWL. They painted colours to their assertions of power abuse. The family feud has escalated beyond the House – to demolish or not. It is plain to me that the present public debate is not so much about the clause in the Will, but more of the roles LHL played in the background. Although he confines himself to a private citizen relating to the House, submitting to the government for any decision to be made, there are many questions about how he obtained confidential things that a private citizen would not be able to, and how the historical documents that belong to the estate executors conveniently appropriated by someone with no official appointment and legal right. I don’t speak for all Singaporeans, but my confidence is shaken. Standing at moral high ground with lopsided persuasion does not cut any meat. What is the point of a parliamentary trial by outsiders (ministers – PAP and WP) who do not have evidences like LHY and LWL do, and without their testimonies? Our PM has to respond to these allegations, but the avenue should not be in Parliament, and certainly not through Facebook.

I understand that LHY and LWL have no other ways to get to Singaporeans with their perspectives other than through Facebook. News and pages of certain websites may be blocked/censored. They have got Singaporeans re-evaluate if the checks and balances are sufficient, if necessary at all. I personally would not want the trust Singaporeans have in the ruling party diminished at the hands of any individual or a particular collective ministerial group. Just like the whites you wear, there is no tolerance for transgression of PAP values (James Gomez).

If we are at an inflection point in our political history, and he has chosen to present his side of things in Parliament instead, I urge ministers like you to be fair to all Singaporeans. Ask him questions from the angles of LHY and LWL, this is the only way Singaporeans can get extract more truths from him instead of staging a political play. Give us a fuller picture and let us think about all the half-truths. That is the best I can ask of my PAP ministers to seek what is right for us Singaporeans, even if it means risking demerit points by your boss.

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Chris Chen: This is such a classless statement that I felt compelled to comment. THE WHOLE COUNTRY knows his wish for his house to be demolished after his death, that is beyond dispute. The email released by LHY says to revert back to his original will. He signed it and initialed under the re-inserted demolition clause. Probate was then granted and the will became legal and binding. As such, I’m really confused at your “lawyering” of the whole issue. To suggest that LKY “accepts” that his house may not be demolished after his death is not only ludicrous, but also disrespectful. I am deeply disgusted by your feeble attempt to confuse the public and draw attention away from the greater issues at stake.

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Brenda Tham: Please stop insulting our founding father.i saw you cried the hardest when he passed away. As a lawyer u should know that any dispute of will should be settled at the right channel which is at the courts level not governmental. Why are you interfering in this? Are you very free at your GRC. Is no one unemployed in your constituent? Is no one suffering from a debt from medical bill? As a public servant kindly know your job scope and place.

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Ruth Chia: MM lKY was a brilliant.lawyer and at the time of making of the 7th.will .he.was still.sane .How can.we imagine that he signed the will without knowing the contents.if the will. Highly improbably for LKY……..

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KokSiang Tan: Dear Mdm, you are a hypocrite. In public you said your former PAP boss Lee KY was a great man. Now in support of your current boss, you implied Lee KY was an old fool who didn’t read what he was signing, albeit he was a Cambrige educated lawyer.

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Meanwhile a pro-PAP fan page – Fabrications Led by Opposition Parties (FLOP) – which some claim is the internet brigade of the People’s Action Party (PAP), has suggested that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s siblings want 38 Oxley Road destroyed because they stand to make millions out of it.