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Explainer | What’s behind the Singapore first family’s public feud?
- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s brother Lee Hsien Yang has joined a new opposition party ahead of the July 10 election
- The long-standing rift between the children of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew centres on what to do with his house
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A public rift between the heirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s modern day founder, has shot to the fore with the prospect of his two sons squaring off at a July 10 general election.
Lee Hsien Yang on Wednesday formally joined a new opposition party competing against his brother Lee Hsien Loong’s People’s Action Party, which has ruled the city state since its independence since 1965.
The move comes amid a long-standing and bitter dispute between the siblings centred around what to do with their late father’s house – demolish it, or let the government decide whether to make it a heritage landmark.
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On one side of the dispute stands the eldest son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, who believes the government must decide what should be done. On the other are his siblings – Lee Hsien Yang and his sister Lee Wei Ling.
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They say their father’s will stated the house should eventually be demolished after his death and they have accused Prime Minister Lee of wanting to preserve the house to build his own political capital.
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