Lee family feud damaged Singapore’s reputation, Premier says

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

A dispute between the children of late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew has damaged the country’s reputation and could dent public confidence in the government if it continues, according to his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee spoke in parliament yesterday in a bid to lay to rest a spat with his two siblings over the estate of the country’s first prime minister, who died in 2015. Still, in his speech he acknowledged the dispute was unlikely to ever be resolved fully.

“I know many Singaporeans are upset by this issue,” Lee said. “They are tired of the subject, and wish it would end,” he said. “I too am upset that things have reached this state.”

“As your prime minister, I deeply regret that this has happened and apologize to Singaporeans for this. As a son, I am pained at the anguish this strife would have caused my parents to feel if they were still alive.”

The spat burst into the public eye in the early hours of June 14 when the prime minister’s siblings issued a six-page statement on Facebook. Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang accused their brother of maneuvering behind the scenes to undermine their father’s instructions to demolish the house he lived in for decades. They also criticized the prime minister’s wife, Ho Ching, who is chief executive officer of state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte.

The tensions have gripped the island state for weeks with tit-for-tat accusations on social media, casting a shadow over Lee and his People’s Action Party-led government. Still, the PAP has a strong hold on power: It dominates the seats in parliament and increased its share of the popular vote in the last election.

Lee Kuan Yew was prime minister from 1959 to 1990, turning Singapore into Southeast Asia’s richest nation by opening the island to foreign investors. He ran a tightly controlled state that emphasized incorruptibility and stability. Lee stepped down from the cabinet in 2011.

Lee Hsien Loong said he denied allegations by his siblings of nepotism and attempts to misuse his power.

“Regarding the house, and how its continued existence enhances my aura as prime minister, if I needed such magic properties to bolster my authority after thirteen years as prime minister I must be in a pretty sad state,” he told parliament. “And if Singaporeans believe that such magic works in Singapore, I think Singapore will be in an even sadder state.”  Krystal Chia, Keith Zhai  and Melissa Cheok, MDT/Bloomberg