Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore, Prime Minister of Singapore
Singapore PM apologises as family feud spills on Facebook, opens himself up for debate amid power abuse claims.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issued a rare public apology on Tuesday after a family feud went public when his younger sibling posted a series of Facebook posts.
The feud has gripped the country which is not used to its elites airing their grievances in public in such a manner. Lee's brother has alleged the Prime Minister violated his late father's will for his own political gain.
Lee's father was Lee Kuan Yew who ruled the country from 1959 to 1990 and is credited with Singapore's transition from a resource-poor colony into one of the most successful economies in the world.
Lee, however, has refuted all the allegations, stating that he regretted that his family dispute has affected Singapore's reputation.
"I deeply regret that this dispute has affected Singapore's reputation and Singaporean's confidence in the government. As your Prime Minister, I apologise to you for this," Lee said in a video posted on Facebook. His apology was also aired on national TV.
The centre of the feud is the Prime Minister's father's house, which Lee and his wife want to preserve as a monument to the former leader, however, his siblings want his house to be demolished as stated in Lee Kuan Yew's will.
The former leader, in his will, had asked for his home -- a pre-war bungalow where Lee Kuan Yew lived in since the 1940s -- to be demolished immediately after his death.
Lee's siblings say that the Prime Minister wants to preserve the house to gain political mileage and is "deliberately" misrepresenting their father's will.
"As the eldest of the siblings, it grieves me to think of the anguish it would have caused our parents if they were alive," Lee said in his apology. He also added that he has done all he could to avoid the current situation he finds himself in.
The Prime Minister also said that he would refute the allegations of abuse of power in the Parliament on July 3. Lee added that he has instructed the ruling People's Action Party whip to be lifted, which will allow members of the parliament to ask him questions.
"I hope that this full public airing in Parliament will dispel any doubts that have been planted and strengthen confidence in our institutions and our system of government," Lee was quoted as saying by CNN.
"These allegations go beyond private and personal matters and extend to the conduct of my office and the integrity of the government. As much as I would like to move on and end an unhappy experience for Singaporeans, these baseless accusations against the government cannot be left unanswered. They must be and will be dealt with openly and refuted," he added.
Former information minister Zainuddin Maidin has claimed that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's recent video statement is a major slap for his Malaysian counterpart.
He noted how Lee had apologised to Singaporeans over the tiff with his siblings with regard to their late father and the island republic's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's residence.
“He promised Singaporeans a full public hearing in parliament next month to enable both his party members and the opposition to hold an independent probe and (stated) that he is prepared to answer (the questions raised).
“Whoever watched that video of Lee would ask why Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is facing a slew of allegations, is unwilling to do what the Singaporean prime minister intends to do,” he added in a blog posting.
The former minister, who is better known as Zam, said although Lee's promise had yet to be implemented, his remarks have restored the people's respect and confidence in him.
According to him, this showed that Lee understood the public's evaluation of the Singaporean leadership and it is because of this, he is prepared to face the people to eradicate whatever ill feelings towards him and to strengthen his position as prime minister and the people's support in the PAP...
Singapore: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong apologised on Monday that a dispute with his siblings over their late father Lee Kuan Yew's will has had an impact on citizens' confidence in the government.
The feud between the children of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, over the future of the family home erupted publicly last week in a flurry of accusations and denials through press releases and Facebook postings, which also touched on Lee Hsien Loong's leadership.
The prime minister's brother, Lee Hsien Yang, and sister, Lee Wei Ling, said they had lost confidence in their older brother as a leader and feared that state power would be used against them in their dispute with him.
Prime Minister Lee denied the allegations made by his siblings, and said he would make a statement on the charges and answer questions when parliament sits on July 3.
"I deeply regret that this dispute has affected Singapore's reputation and Singaporeans’ confidence in the government," the prime minister said in a statement and a video message posted on his Facebook page.
"These allegations go beyond private and personal matters, and extend to the conduct of my office and the integrity of the government," he said.
"They must be and will be dealt with openly and refuted."
The prime minister assured citizens that the dispute "will not distract me and my cabinet colleagues from our responsibility to govern Singapore, and to deal with more important national issues, including the pressing economic and security challenges we face".
Lee Hsien Yang, who said he and his wife would be leaving Singapore because they felt closely monitored and threatened, has no immediate comment.
Lee Wei Ling could not be immediately reached for comment.
In his last will, part of which was released by Lee Hsien Yang on Thursday, Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled Singapore for three decades, said he wanted his house, a humbly furnished home near the bustling Orchard shopping district, to be demolished.
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