Suing siblings not ‘preferred choice’ of action: PM Lee
PM Lee Hsien Loong (C) delivering his ministerial statement to Parliament on Monday (July 3). During his speech, he addressed allegations concerning abuse of power on matters relating to the 38 Oxley Road dispute. Photo: Parliament telecast screencap
SINGAPORE — Noting that many have asked why he was not taking legal action to stop his siblings’ attacks on him and the Government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday he would certainly sue for defamation in “any other imaginable circumstance”.
However, if he took Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling to court over the dispute on their family home at 38 Oxley Road, it would “further besmirch” their parents’ names, and drag out the process for years, creating further “distraction and distress” to Singaporeans, PM Lee said.
Adding that he took advice and considered his options very carefully, PM Lee said: “I believe I have a strong case. In normal circumstances, in fact, in any other imaginable circumstance than this, I would have sued immediately ... (But) at the end of the day, we are brothers and sister, and we are all our parents’ children. Therefore, fighting this out in court cannot be my preferred choice.”
He reiterated that, while “every family will understand that family disputes do happen”, these should not be vented in public. He had done his best to deal with the matter out of the public eye, such as keeping private his submissions to the Ministerial Committee that was tasked to consider the options for 38 Oxley Road.
However, given his siblings’ continued grave and baseless allegations against him and the Government, Mr Lee said he had no choice but to defend himself. Among these allegations was that PM Lee is making it difficult for them to carry out the Last Will of their late father, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, to have their family home demolished after his death or after Dr Lee moves out.
Reiterating that Parliament is the highest body in the land where the Government and he are accountable to lawmakers and the general public, PM Lee said: “Today I am making this statement in
Parliament to account to members and to Singaporeans, and to deal with this issue expeditiously, so that Singaporeans can understand what it is all about and we can put the matter to rest, I hope, once and for all.”
The Prime Minister called for robust questioning as well as a full airing and accounting of the public issues and allegations that have arisen.
He urged the Members of Parliament from all sides of the political aisle to question him and his ministers “vigorously and without restraint”. This would help to “dispel all the doubts, innuendo and tittle-tattle that has been planted and circulated”, he said, adding that it would also strengthen confidence in the institutions and the system of government.
PM Lee stressed that Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy is “much more than an old house” — it is the country and the values that it upholds, such as multi-racialism and meritocracy, as well as a fair and just society where no one is above the law.
He is pained that the episode has put both his family and the country “under a cloud and done damage to Singapore”, and hopes that he is able to resolve the unhappiness within the family.
“When the dust has settled on this unhappy episode, people must know that the Government in Singapore operates transparently, impartially, and properly ... that in Singapore, even Mr Lee’s house and Mr Lee’s wishes are subject to the rule of law,” PM Lee said.
He added: “That the Government (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) built is able to withstand intense and sustained attacks on its reputation and integrity, and emerge not just untainted but in fact strengthened ... This is the ‘house’ that Mr Lee built, not 38 Oxley Road.”
