Hsien Yang, Wei Ling to stop posting evidence on social media

Singapore

THE two siblings of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have agreed to accept their elder brother's desire to settle their very public feud in private, and will stop posting further evidence online for now.

In a seven-page joint statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang said they will "cease presenting further evidence" on social media, provided that both their wish and their father's are "not attacked or misinterpreted".

The three Lee siblings - the children of Singapore's late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew - have been embroiled in an ugly dispute since June 14 over the fate of their 38 Oxley Road family home.

The issue escalated to the point that PM Lee had to give a ministerial statement in Parliament earlier this week, with more than 30 members of Parliament rising to speak on the saga.

"We are not politicians, and do not wish to see Singapore embroiled in a never-ending public argument," said Dr Lee and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, adding that it was up to the government and Singaporeans to decide whether and how to hold PM Lee to account.

The two siblings - the joint executors and trustees of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's estate - revealed that they had privately offered a ceasefire shortly after their initial statement on June 14, but their attempts at reconciliation were rebuffed.

"We therefore welcome Hsien Loong's stated desire on July 4 to manage his disagreement with us in private. We look forward to talking without the involvement of lawyers or government agencies," they said.

They said that releasing further evidence on social media at this time would only "muddy the facts" and put pressure on government agencies to make excuses for PM Lee.

"If there is ever a truly independent inquiry to examine the evidence, they are welcome to ask. Ultimately, it is up to the people of Singapore whether they hold Lee Hsien Loong to a true accounting," they said.

Among the siblings' many accusations were that PM Lee was trying to block their late father's wish to demolish the house.

They also accused their brother of abusing his power by using the organs of state to further his cause. PM Lee has denied all these allegations and has expressed hope that he can reconcile with his siblings.

The siblings wrote in their statement that the recent Parliament sitting raised more questions than answers. They said: "As we had no opportunity to present our point of view in Parliament, we have no choice but to make our responses through this letter. It is impossible for MPs to effectively question PM Lee when his party controls almost all the seats in the House."

They added: "No independent investigator has gathered evidence, interviewed other witnesses, or subpoenaed the government's own records. As we pointed out before, Parliament is not the right forum for investigations of this nature.

They also claimed that PM Lee quarrelled with them on April 12, 2015, the day their father's will was read out to them, and maintain that PM Lee has not spoken to them since.

The siblings insist that PM Lee was the first to invoke lawyers, a move that "gobsmacked" them since they were "siblings discussing (their) fathers' house".

Responding later in the day, PM Lee, who is currently in Germany for a working visit, said he shared his siblings' wish not to carry on the dispute in public, and to manage the disagreement privately.

"That is exactly what I have been trying to do. My siblings' statement also repeats their previous allegations against me. I have already refuted these and stand by what I have said," said PM Lee.

As for the siblings' offer for a ceasefire, he revealed that they had wanted him to call off his ministerial statement and Parliament debate, disband the ministerial committee that's tasked to study the options for 38 Oxley Road, and not respond to their accusations.

"I could not agree to do any of that. It would have been improper and irresponsible," said PM Lee.

DPM Teo Chee Hean, who chairs the ministerial committee, said in a separate statement that he has already "responded comprehensively" in Parliament to all of Dr Lee's and Mr Lee Hsien Yang's allegations against the committee, public agencies and public officers.

"With this development, I hope that we can all work together and focus our energy on taking Singapore forward," he said.