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Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Wei Ling declare social media pause, welcome talks with Lee Hsien Loong

Yahoo Singapore file photo
Yahoo Singapore file photo

Two days after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented his speeches in Parliament about the 38 Oxley Road dispute, his siblings Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang posted a joint statement on Thursday (6 July) saying that they will cease posting evidence of their brother’s alleged abuse of power online.

On Thursday morning, the siblings posted two documents online, a seven page public statement on their father Lee Kuan Yew’s will, the Parliament session and the Ministerial Committee, and a 10-page summary of all the evidence they had been posting on social media since 14 June.

They added that they would manage the disagreement “in private”, saying that a previous attempt at reconciliation was “rebuffed”. They wrote, “We privately offered a ceasefire shortly after our statement of 14 June 2017. Our attempts at reconciliation were rebuffed. We therefore welcome Hsien Loong’s stated desire on 4 July 2017 to manage his disagreement with us in private.”

In the concluding paragraphs of the statement, they said, “We are not politicians, and do not wish to see Singapore embroiled in a never-ending public argument. For now, we will cease presenting further evidence on social media, provided that we and our father’s wish are not attacked or misrepresented. Ultimately, it is up to the government, and the people of Singapore, to decide whether and how to hold Lee Hsien Loong to account.”

The siblings added that they had “much evidence” they had yet to show, saying, “Some of this evidence is too complex to be well-suited to social media. We reserve this to show to a truly open and independent investigation, if there ever is one.”

They also thanked Singaporeans who had reached out to them in support.

The Lee family feud has gripped Singaporeans since 14 June, when Hsien Yang and his sister Wei Ling issued a statement denouncing their older brother and accusing him of pursuing a personal agenda with regard to their former family home at 38 Oxley Road.

In Parliament on Monday and Tuesday, the Prime Minister responded to the accusations, saying was no basis to call for a Select Committee or a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to look into the allegations of abuse of power.

Note: This story was updated to add that the siblings’ welcome talks with Lee Hsien Loong in private.

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