Singapore’s Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong embroiled in Facebook spat with sister

The Prime Minister’s sister accused him of 'abusing' his political power and planning to establish a 'dynasty' in the island republic

Prime Minister and People's Action Party (PAP) Secretary General, Lee Hsien Loong (Getty Images)

A public feud has erupted over Facebook among Singapore’s first family, after the Prime Minister’s sister accused him of “abusing” his political power and planning to establish a “dynasty” in the island republic.

Writing on Facebook on Sunday, Dr Lee Wei Ling, a respected neurosurgeon and newspaper columnist, accused her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, of using the commemorations for the death of their late-father, the city state’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, to “hero-worship” him.

Dr Lee said she and her brother “are at odds on a matter of principle” regarding the commemorations, and her brother has “no qualms [about] abusing his power to [have] a commemoration just one year after Lee Kuan Yew died.”

She added: “If the power that be wants to establish a dynasty, LKY’s daughter will not allow LKY’s name to be sullied by a dishonourable son.”

The post was removed from Facebook later that day, according to Channel New Asia. However, Prime Minister Lee retorted back at his sister a few hours later in his own Facebook post, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the remarks, which are “completely untrue”.

The funeral of former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, 2015 (Getty Images)

He said: “The idea that I should wish to establish a dynasty makes even less sense. Meritocracy is a fundamental value of our society, and neither I, the PAP [People’s Action Party], nor the Singapore public would tolerate any such attempt.”

PAP has been Singapore’s ruling party since 1959 and was first headed by Lee Kuan Yew in 1954.

The recent social media spat between his children is surprising given Lee Kuan Yew’s intolerance for dissent and disagreement among his citizens. In the past he had sued critics suggesting nepotism in his government.

Lee Kuan Yew, who was prime minister between 1959 and 1990 and remained an influential government figure, died on 23 March 2015.

Numerous events commemorating his death have been carried out by the government over the past year.

In her Facebook post, Dr Lee also reproduced her correspondence with the editors of The Straits Times over a draft of an opinion piece she had written on the commemoration programs, Chanel News Asia said.

In the article, Dr Lee expressed disdain for an ostentatious commemoration of her father, which depicted him in a large portrait using 5,000 erasers illustrated with the Singaporean flag. She compared the portrait to tributes made in Mao Zedong’s China.

The article was not published and Dr Lee said she will no longer write for The Straits Times, saying its editors do not allow her "freedom of speech".

In an editorial, The Straits Times disputed Dr Lee’s account and said she had posted the article while editorial changes were still taking place.

The posts were taken down on Sunday, although it remains unclear who did this, according to Channel News Asia.

Additional reporting by Associated Press