Lee family feud: Singapore PM’s sister accuses him of ‘abusing his power’ to establish political dynasty
The rare and unexpected rift burst into the open over the anniversary of the death of their father
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday denied abusing his power and attempting to establish a dynasty as a family feud went public after the first anniversary of the death of his father Lee Kuan Yew.
Reacting to attacks from his younger sister Lee Wei Ling, the prime minister said in a Facebook post that he was “deeply saddened” by the claims and called them “completely untrue”.
Singapore on March 23 marked the first anniversary of the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s authoritarian first prime minister who ruled from 1959 to 1990.
His death at age 91 sparked a massive outpouring of grief among Singaporeans, many of whom credit the family patriarch with turning Singapore from a poor former British colony into one of the world’s wealthiest and most stable societies.
Over 100 different activities were held to mark the first anniversary last month.
But the prime minister’s sister Lee Wei Ling, a physician who serves as senior adviser to the National Neuroscience Institute, went public on Facebook with her criticism of the commemorations - which she suggested may be part of dynasty-building - after a column she submitted to the country’s leading daily The Straits Times was rejected for publication.