Singapore's First Family Should Quit Politics: Brother
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published June 15, 2017 | 05:35 PM
SINGAPORE, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Jun, 2017 ) - The Lee family which has dominated Singapore since its founding should quit politics after the current generation, the prime minister's brother said Thursday as a bitter feud rages over their father's legacy.
The tightly ruled nation has been rocked by allegations from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's siblings that he is exploiting the memory of their father -- founding leader Lee Kuan Yew -- for his own political agenda.
Lee Hsien Yang and his sister, Wei Ling, released a strongly worded six-page statement Wednesday accusing their brother of abusing his powers and saying they they had lost confidence in his leadership.
"The country must be bigger than one family," Hsien Yang told AFP in an email. The quarrel exposed the issue of succession when the estranged siblings claimed that Lee and his influential wife, Ho Ching, harboured political ambitions for their son, Li Hongyi.
Lee Hsien Yang, who went into the business world rather than government, said his own son -- a Harvard academic -- had no interest in entering government. "He believes it would be bad for Singapore if any third-generation Lee went into politics," he said.
"My elder son and my views on politics are entirely aligned." Prime Minister Lee had denied the allegations and expressed sadness that the feud has erupted into public view. He described the claim about his son as "absurd" and Li Hongyi said in a Facebook post Thursday: "For what it is worth, I really have no interest in politics." Singapore has been ruled continuously by only one party -- the People's Action Party -- since 1959 when the island gained self-rule from Britain.
Since independence in 1965, the city-state has known only three prime ministers, two of them from the Lee family. The siblings' grievances centre on the future of their family home. Lee Kuan Yew wanted the house demolished to avoid it becoming a monument, a decision Hsien Yang and and Wei Ling supported.
The siblings accuse the prime minister of defying their father's instructions. The allegations against Lee immediately went viral in a country where tough laws against protests and curbs on press freedom have stifled political dissent.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Rock-solid Ruud racks up season-leading win in Barcelona
At UN, Iran says it will make Israel 'regret' reprisals
G7 hears calls for 'critical' Ukraine aid
EU seeks to leverage might to confront China, US challenge
5 Customs officials martyred as their vehicle ambushed by terrorists in D I Khan
Pak-New Zealand match called off due to rain
NHA restores traffic on roads affected by recent rains in Balochistan
China to fully support Pakistan's efforts against terrorism: Ambassador Jiang
U.S. envoy calls on Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
Poland arrests man over suspected plan to kill Zelensky
EU wants to ease youth movement to and from UK
Police foils attempt of supply mainpuri raw material
More Stories From World
-
At G7, Blinken seeks European support for pressure on China
1 hour ago -
Thousands of Bosnian Serbs rally against UN resolution on Srebrenica
1 hour ago -
Israel assault has turned Gaza into 'humanitarian hellscape': UN
2 hours ago -
Husband of ex-Scottish leader charged over alleged embezzlement: police
2 hours ago -
Ecuador hit by power cuts of up to 13 hours amid drought
3 hours ago -
Hugs or bullets? How Mexico presidential rivals aim to curb violence
3 hours ago
-
Kenya military chopper crash kills defence chief, senior officers
3 hours ago -
Biden hails 'incredible' Kennedy family backing against RFK Jr.
3 hours ago -
Maldives court frees jailed ex-president ahead of vote
4 hours ago -
Probe into Portugal ex-PM Costa appears to collapse
4 hours ago -
Jury selection stalls in Trump criminal trial
4 hours ago -
At UN, Iran says it will make Israel 'regret' reprisals
4 hours ago