GE2020: PSP's Lee Hsien Yang says not using party as 'mouthpiece' for family dispute
SINGAPORE – Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member Lee Hsien Yang made clear that his membership in the party is separate from his unresolved family dispute.
Speaking on the matter at two PSP walkabouts at Boon Lay and Tanglin Halt on Sunday (28 June), Lee said, “I think if you look at what I have been saying about my family issues, I’ve been able to say that without joining PSP... I have spoken up about my personal problems without being in politics. The party’s position is clear, and I have no need to use the party to be my mouthpiece for anything.
Since 2017, Lee and his older sister Wei Ling have been embroiled in a long-running public spat with their brother, PM Lee Hsien Loong, over the fate of their old family home at 38 Oxley Road, and the last wishes of their late father, Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Asked about his feelings on being active in politics during this period, Lee said that he was “born into politics whether I liked it or not and I’m in the limelight whether I like it or not”.
“I value my own privacy and I’m here because I think we need to speak (the) truth... we need to be prepared to speak up about things that we think need to be done correctly.”
Echoing Lee’s sentiments, PSP secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock said Lee was very clear about the distinction between politics and his family’s dispute from the time he joined three months ago.
“He understands our position... there’s always a fear (from others) that Hsien Yang is going to come to my party and talk about his agenda. No, that was never on our agenda at all,” said Dr Tan.
“When we met and talked about (him) wanting to join me, it was purely because he believed in us. It’s very important... At his level, he knows how to differentiate, what is the politics and what is his own personal agenda.”
While Dr Tan has said that he will contest the GE as part of a West Coast GRC team, Lee has not been named as a prospective candidate for the polls on 10 July.
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