Do you hear that? Nothing? Exactly — it’s all quiet on the Facebook front regarding the (tiresome) feud within Singapore’s first family. The last shot fired by Dr. Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang rang out yesterday, when they declared a ceasefire of words against their prime minister brother over their father’s will and the fate of his house at 38 Oxley Road.
Basically, the dispute is this. Siblings want to see Lee Kuan Yew’s desire to have his house demolished (as clearly stated in his will), but PM Lee believes their dad may have had second thoughts about it, and that preserving the house for heritage value is a better option. After years of infighting, the Lee siblings went public, accusing their brother of abusing his power to get what he wants.
But lo, it was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who had the last word on things. Responding to his siblings’ public statement, PM Lee expressed sharing their wish not to carry on their dispute in public and to manage the disagreement in private.
Then the rest of his statement is pretty much an older brother’s chiding of his young siblings.
“That is exactly what I have been trying to do,” wrote PM Lee, presumably rolling his eyes as well. He then reminds them that he has already refuted all the accusations levelled at him in Parliament earlier this week, where he answered (or warded off) questions about the dispute.
According to the PM, his siblings had even demanded that he stay silent by calling off his Ministerial Statement and debate in Parliament, as well as disband the Ministerial Committee in charge of considering options for 38 Oxley Road.
“I could not agree to do any of that,” he wrote. “It would have been improper and irresponsible.”
For now we’ll just have to wait and see if his siblings will call off the truce and start the whole saga in public again. After all, they promised a ceasefire only if they and their father’s wish aren’t attacked or misrepresented. After all, now would be a prime time to drop fresh bombs — PM Lee is currently busy in Germany for the G20 Summit.
