Lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss: “Cannot be” that Lee Kuan Yew didn’t read the demolition clause in his last will
SINGAPORE: Noted lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss said today (3 March) that it is hard to believe founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew did not read or understand the contents of his last will, amid the latest turn in the Lee family feud.
Her comments come on the back of Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean’s revelation that Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern – the youngest son and daughter-in-law of the late Lee Kuan Yew – are being investigated by the police for allegedly lying in a legal proceeding relating to the will of the late former PM.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang has responded by dubbing this latest action continued “persecution” by the Singapore authorities. The estranged brother of current Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong has also asserted that he is the “real target” behind the authorities’ actions against his wife and son, Li Shengwu.
The bitter dispute has gripped Singaporeans and dominated national discourse for over five years. This latest development has also triggered public scrutiny of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s last will – the main point of contention between the Lee siblings.
Ms Chong-Aruldoss is among several public figures who have weighed in on the issue. Posting a picture of the demolition clause in Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s last will with his handwriting next to it, she noted that it is “hard not to notice” the visibly conspicuous clause, which takes up 12 lines in the document.
Ms Chong-Aruldoss also noted that the lawyers who witnessed Mr Lee’s last will had said that “LKY read through every line of the will and was comfortable to sign and initial at every page, which he did in our presence. We then confirmed that we witnessed LKY’s signature by placing our own signatures at the relevant execution blocks respectively.”
Pointing out that the application for Probate was granted without challenge, despite being based on the last will, Ms Chong-Aruldoss said: “I hope no one is saying that Mr Lee initialled this page where the clause appears without reading or understanding what was written on that page. That cannot be.”
Singapore PM's brother says govt persecuting his family
The brother of Singapore's prime minister on Friday accused government authorities of persecuting his family after it emerged that he and his wife were under official investigation.
Lee Hsien Yang has long been at odds with his brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over the will of their late father — longtime Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who ushered Singapore through independence from Britain.
The family feud had largely died down until Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean told lawmakers that Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, Lee Suet Fern, were under investigation.
In a written answer to parliament made public Thursday, he said the two were being investigated over allegations of providing false evidence in judicial proceedings regarding the will.
They are accused of lying under oath by a panel of three judges and a disciplinary tribunal, Teo Chee Hean wrote.
He told parliament the two had agreed to an interview with police but then later refused, which he said was “disappointing.”
“The police have advised them to reconsider participating in investigations, but they have since left Singapore and remain out of the country,” he wrote, according to a copy of the reply to parliament provided by his office.
Contacted by The Associated Press on Friday, Lee Hsien Yang rejected the allegations as “a further attempt to discredit and attack me,” but said “it is not safe for me to return” to Singapore.
In a post on Facebook, Lee Hsien Yang said he and his sister, Lee Wei Ling, who had joined him in questioning the execution of the will, had long said they “feared the use of organs of the state against us and my family.”
“The persecution of my family by the Singapore authorities continues unabated,” he wrote.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he has previously called his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power against them “entirely baseless.”
Their father, Lee Kuan Yew, led Singapore with an iron grip for more than three decades and is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy, bustling financial hub with low crime and almost zero corruption.
Following his death in 2015, the siblings clashed over a clause in his will indicating a family bungalow should be demolished rather than become some kind of tourist attraction.
Lee Hsien Yang and his sister have accused their brother, the prime minister, of instead preserving the house to “enhance his political capital” as a “visible symbol” of their father.
The prime minister has rejected the allegations and said he recused himself from the government's decision-making process on deciding the house's fate.
Lee Hsien Yang told the AP, however, that their father's will left no room for doubt, and that he “did not want to create a shrine to himself.”
“It is clear that my father wanted the house demolished and he made it clear during his lifetime; it was clear in his will,” he said, adding that when the will was probated in 2015 “that was the time to address it.”
Lee Hsien Yang's son, Shengwu Li, tweeted that for his parents to come back to Singapore for questioning could put them at risk.
“In Singapore, the authorities can hold you indefinitely, under inhumane conditions, without timely access to a lawyer,” wrote Li, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard.
“When a hostile authoritarian government says they want to ‘question’ you it is clear what that means.”
Lee Hsien Yang and his sister have accused their brother, the prime minister, of instead preserving the house to “enhance his political capital” as a “visible symbol” of their father.
Ironically, instead of benefitting from this calculated brouhaha the dishonourable son's political capital is dwindling thick and fast. Tragic much?
She's battling some real nasty brain disease, I hope Pinky has the decency to leave her out of the current developments surrounding the familee squabble.
Why turn the Lee family saga into the Singapore saga?
When the Lee family saga first erupted, Singaporeans saw it as unfortunate.
As it unfolded, it became sensational, garnering not only national but international headlines. It was painful to see a family squabble turning into a spectacle.
The Prime Minister’s nephew has since paid a price for his indiscretion, the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law too has paid the price for hers.
Now we are told that the police is investigating both the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law and brother, and that they have since left the country.
So the saga continues.
But for Singaporeans, it is no more unfortunate and painful. It is a distraction and a disturbance.
Every time something new and sensational happens, it is disturbing to families, disturbing to the community.
Amongst folks on social media, bickering breaks out because there are factions split down the middle advocating for opposing sides of the Lee family.
It has also become a political football, especially after making its way into Parliament.
Not to mention the own goal Singapore scores whenever it makes international headlines, ownself causing reputational damage to ownself.
Unless the Lees move on, the country cannot move on. Their saga becomes our saga.
Lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss: “Cannot be” that Lee Kuan Yew didn’t read the demolition clause in his last will
SINGAPORE: Noted lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss said today (3 March) that it is hard to believe founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew did not read or understand the contents of his last will, amid the latest turn in the Lee family feud.
Her comments come on the back of Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean’s revelation that Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern – the youngest son and daughter-in-law of the late Lee Kuan Yew – are being investigated by the police for allegedly lying in a legal proceeding relating to the will of the late former PM.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang has responded by dubbing this latest action continued “persecution” by the Singapore authorities. The estranged brother of current Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong has also asserted that he is the “real target” behind the authorities’ actions against his wife and son, Li Shengwu.
The bitter dispute has gripped Singaporeans and dominated national discourse for over five years. This latest development has also triggered public scrutiny of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s last will – the main point of contention between the Lee siblings.
Ms Chong-Aruldoss is among several public figures who have weighed in on the issue. Posting a picture of the demolition clause in Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s last will with his handwriting next to it, she noted that it is “hard not to notice” the visibly conspicuous clause, which takes up 12 lines in the document.
Ms Chong-Aruldoss also noted that the lawyers who witnessed Mr Lee’s last will had said that “LKY read through every line of the will and was comfortable to sign and initial at every page, which he did in our presence. We then confirmed that we witnessed LKY’s signature by placing our own signatures at the relevant execution blocks respectively.”
Pointing out that the application for Probate was granted without challenge, despite being based on the last will, Ms Chong-Aruldoss said: “I hope no one is saying that Mr Lee initialled this page where the clause appears without reading or understanding what was written on that page. That cannot be.”
https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/other/lawyer-jeannette-chong-aruldoss-cannot-be-that-lee-kuan-yew-didn-t-read-the-demolition-clause-in-his-last-will/ar-AA18aV2x
Singapore PM's brother says govt persecuting his family
The brother of Singapore's prime minister on Friday accused government authorities of persecuting his family after it emerged that he and his wife were under official investigation.
Lee Hsien Yang has long been at odds with his brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over the will of their late father — longtime Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who ushered Singapore through independence from Britain.
The family feud had largely died down until Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean told lawmakers that Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, Lee Suet Fern, were under investigation.
In a written answer to parliament made public Thursday, he said the two were being investigated over allegations of providing false evidence in judicial proceedings regarding the will.
They are accused of lying under oath by a panel of three judges and a disciplinary tribunal, Teo Chee Hean wrote.
He told parliament the two had agreed to an interview with police but then later refused, which he said was “disappointing.”
“The police have advised them to reconsider participating in investigations, but they have since left Singapore and remain out of the country,” he wrote, according to a copy of the reply to parliament provided by his office.
Contacted by The Associated Press on Friday, Lee Hsien Yang rejected the allegations as “a further attempt to discredit and attack me,” but said “it is not safe for me to return” to Singapore.
In a post on Facebook, Lee Hsien Yang said he and his sister, Lee Wei Ling, who had joined him in questioning the execution of the will, had long said they “feared the use of organs of the state against us and my family.”
“The persecution of my family by the Singapore authorities continues unabated,” he wrote.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he has previously called his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power against them “entirely baseless.”
Their father, Lee Kuan Yew, led Singapore with an iron grip for more than three decades and is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy, bustling financial hub with low crime and almost zero corruption.
Following his death in 2015, the siblings clashed over a clause in his will indicating a family bungalow should be demolished rather than become some kind of tourist attraction.
Lee Hsien Yang and his sister have accused their brother, the prime minister, of instead preserving the house to “enhance his political capital” as a “visible symbol” of their father.
The prime minister has rejected the allegations and said he recused himself from the government's decision-making process on deciding the house's fate.
Lee Hsien Yang told the AP, however, that their father's will left no room for doubt, and that he “did not want to create a shrine to himself.”
“It is clear that my father wanted the house demolished and he made it clear during his lifetime; it was clear in his will,” he said, adding that when the will was probated in 2015 “that was the time to address it.”
Lee Hsien Yang's son, Shengwu Li, tweeted that for his parents to come back to Singapore for questioning could put them at risk.
“In Singapore, the authorities can hold you indefinitely, under inhumane conditions, without timely access to a lawyer,” wrote Li, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard.
“When a hostile authoritarian government says they want to ‘question’ you it is clear what that means.”
https://news.yahoo.com/singapore-pms-brother-says-govt-072326531.html
Whatever happened to Lee Wei Ling? She's been rather quiet these days
From the horse's mouth
Aiseh Lee vs Lee 😏
他的话中有话, 一点也不简单...
Why turn the Lee family saga into the Singapore saga?
When the Lee family saga first erupted, Singaporeans saw it as unfortunate.
As it unfolded, it became sensational, garnering not only national but international headlines. It was painful to see a family squabble turning into a spectacle.
The Prime Minister’s nephew has since paid a price for his indiscretion, the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law too has paid the price for hers.
Now we are told that the police is investigating both the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law and brother, and that they have since left the country.
So the saga continues.
But for Singaporeans, it is no more unfortunate and painful. It is a distraction and a disturbance.
Every time something new and sensational happens, it is disturbing to families, disturbing to the community.
Amongst folks on social media, bickering breaks out because there are factions split down the middle advocating for opposing sides of the Lee family.
It has also become a political football, especially after making its way into Parliament.
Not to mention the own goal Singapore scores whenever it makes international headlines, ownself causing reputational damage to ownself.
Unless the Lees move on, the country cannot move on. Their saga becomes our saga.
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2023/03/03/why-turn-the-lee-family-saga-into-the-singapore-saga/
Finally, Moses understands his people. So when will Moses return to free us?