‘PAP has lost its way’: Estranged brother of Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong backs new opposition party
- Lee said he was fully behind the ‘principles and values of the Progress Singapore Party’, started by a former stalwart of the ruling party, Tan Cheng Bock
- The People’s Action Party’s opposition is not viewed as a threat, but backing from a senior member of the Lee family could give Tan a boost at the next election
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Tan has been seen in recent months with the prime minister’s younger sibling, Lee Hsien Yang, local media reported, sparking talk of an alliance.
On Sunday, Lee wrote on Facebook: “I wholeheartedly support the principles and values of the Progress Singapore Party. Today’s PAP is no longer the PAP of my father. It has lost its way.”
He did not elaborate further.
Lee Hsien Yang has previous backed Tan, describing him in a Facebook post in January as “the leader Singapore deserves” and someone who has “consistently put the interests of the people first”.
Lee, a business executive, and his sister, a doctor, have been embroiled in an acrimonious feud with their older brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over the fate of a century-old family bungalow.
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The row centres on allegations made by the prime minister’s siblings that he is seeking to block the demolition of the property to capitalise on their father’s legacy – something he has denied.
Tan, a former PAP lawmaker, resigned from the party in 2010 and unsuccessfully ran for president the following year. He will formally launch his party next week.
Singapore’s prime minister, 67, has said he will lead the PAP at the next polls before handing power over to leader-in-waiting, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat.
