GOVERNMENT’S Email
The Singapore authorities responded to NYT’s inquiries in December 2024 by saying that Mr. Lee Hsien Yang’s claims and complaints in the Jan 11 article are intended to “distract global interest” from the fact that the pair was found by the judge to have misled his parents in the murder of his last will and testament.
They have also lied under oath, said the government.
The court determined that Mrs. Lee Suet Fern had “blindly followed the directions of her husband, a significant beneficiary under the very will she helped rush through, and had “acted with complete disregard for the interests ” of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr. Lee Hsien Yang claimed that the saga surrounding 38 Oxley Road had made him aware that there are “fundamental issues in the way Singapore is governed and run”.
The government referred to this as a “grandiose claim” as a way to distract attention from the fact that the couple were found by the court to have lied under oath.
According to the statement, the Singapore government has never ‘maintained that it can function without any checks on its power.
The government, it said, is subject to laws enforced by an independent judiciary and is answerable to an elected parliament. Additionally, it is held accountable to the citizens of Singapore through open elections, which have consistently been held at regular intervals since its independence.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang had also considered contesting in the last General Election, only to “back off ” at the last minute, said the government.
According to the statement, Mr. Lee Hsien Yang described his father’s political legacy as being “deeply offensive to and disrespectful to his father” and that it was “obviously intended to win some in the West”.
According to the government, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s younger son had claimed that the ministerial committee at 38 Oxley Road did not do so.
Mrs. Lee Suet Fern’s professional conduct was investigated by the disciplinary tribunal and the Court of Three Judges during Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s last will execution.
The Ministerial Committee received representations from all of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s children, far from being” secret.” It later published its findings, ” said the government.
The committee was established to determine options for the 38 Oxley Road future.
According to the government, it examined Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes regarding the house and discovered that he was willing to accept other options besides demolition, as he had stated in his last will and on other occasions, including a letter to the Cabinet.
“Decisions on 38 Oxley Road were and continue to be made transparently, following due process, ” it added.
Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, the country’s prime minister, had resisted all discussions on the subject. In his current capacity as a senior minister, he does so.
No government agency consults him or members of his family on any decisions involving 38 Oxley Road. ”
Additionally, Mr. Lee Hsien Yang claimed that his older brother and his wife Mdm Ho Ching wanted to use 38 Oxley Road to “milk Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy for their own political goals ” and that they had “dynastic ambitions for their son”.
These charges are baseless, said the government.
In December 2015, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong sold the home to his younger brother after the will had been deeded to him and made a donation to charity.
He had previously offered to give the house to his sister for$ 1. He did all of this voluntarily months before his siblings revealed their disagreement with their brother, according to the government.
Mr Lee Hsien Loong’s son, Mr Li Hongyi, has repeatedly stated he has no wish to enter politics. None of his children have shown any interest in this.
“None has done anything to even vaguely suggest political interest, ” said the government.
It took note of a separate report from the Financial Times, which claimed Mr. Lee Hsien Yang and his wife had claimed that the Singapore government had persecuted their family to “block any chance” that Mr. Li Shengwu might become prime minister in Singapore and “one day rise to the position of prime minister.”
“This has left many wondering if it is n’t Lee Hsien Yang himself who harbours ‘dynastic ambitions’, ” said the government.
Addressing Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s claim that he was not jealous or envious of his older brother, the government said readers can judge what “really prompted ” him to launch this “extravagant vendetta” against his brother.
He has reportedly launched an international campaign against Singapore and his parents ‘ legacy because it has consumed him, according to the government.
“ While claiming to fulfil his father’s wish to demolish the house, he does n’t hesitate to demolish all that his father had built in Singapore. “