In the statement, Lee Hsien Yang said he felt “compelled to leave” Singapore “for the foreseeable future”.
The siblings of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have issued a statement of “no confidence” against their brother, saying that they felt threatened by his pursuit of a personal agenda in matters relating to their father’s home on 38 Oxley Road.
Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, the second son and daughter, respectively, of Singapore’s first prime minister, the late Lee Kuan Yew, made the open statement through their Facebook accounts in the early hours of Wednesday (14 June).
“This is the country that my father, Lee Kuan Yew, loved and built. It has been home for my entire life. Singapore is and remains my country. I have no desire to leave. Hsien Loong is the only reason for my departure,” the statement quoted Lee Hsien Yang.
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Dr Lee says she didn't intentionally plagiarise
Dr Lee Wei Ling took to Facebook again on Saturday afternoon to respond to a Straits Times article published the same day that claimed she had plagiarised her column.
The article was penned by the newspaper's associate editor Ivan Fernandez, who had edited Dr Lee's work since last November.
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Lee Wei Ling FaceBook - 19 hrs
I read in today’s Straits Times, that my previous editor, Ivan Fernandez accused me of plagiarism with regards to how Chairman Mao and Churchill were commemorated on the anniversary of their death. I had not intended to write about my father’s death on 23/3/2016. What led to my comments in Facebook on 1/4/2016 was the article on the front page report of The Straits Times on Mar 21st. It carried a photo of an outline of Papa's face made with 4,877 erasers. I know Papa would be very upset by this sort of hero worship. I felt a sense of urgency to stop all acts of hagiography as I knew how unhappy they would cause Papa. To put things in context I wanted to recount how other countries honoured their leaders after death. China’s Chairman Mao and Britain’s Winston Churchill were the best examples to compare the founding prime minister of Singapore to. My then SPH editor, Ivan Fernandez’s first response to my draft which included commemoration for Mao and Churchill, “Not using this, Wei Ling. Sticking with the original edited version. Will use your suggestion for the visual (if space permits): shot of the video you mentioned. Bits about Mao and Churchill are going off on a tangent. Distracting and do not contribute enough to the point that you've already made. Best to objectively maintain the tightness of argument and not appear to be airing a pet peeve.” There were 5 subsequent emails with regards to this draft, never did Ivan bring up the issue of plagiarism. Given that my article was posted on Facebook on 1st April, and this is 9th April, I wonder whether the powers that be had instructed SPH to criticize me and accuse me of plagiarism. I am a doctor, and writing articles like these do not advance my curriculum vitae which depends on publication on medical issues. So I leave my readers to judge me fairly, whether I intentionally plagiarized or as a filial daughter I wanted to stop any attempts at hagiography at the first anniversary of my father’s death.
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ST never brought up issue of plagiarism, Lee Wei Ling responds to ST’s accusation
Dr Lee the daughter of Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, had compared the leaders of two countries – Mao Zedong of China and Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom – with her father. While China hurriedly built a monument to its leader (who it considered semi-divine) Britain only commemorated her prominent leader 50 years later, Dr Lee said.
She said Mr Lee Kuan Yew was dead set against a personality cult and any hint of cronyism, and would have preferred a commemoration like that accorded to Mr Churchill 50 years later, over the one sanctioned by the government which started on 23rd March with a remembrance ceremony held at the former Parliament House, and lasted for an entire week. This part of Dr Lee’s commentary was what ST wanted edited out.
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Top 5 lessons from the LWL saga
In the grand scheme of things, of course, it was a spat of no consequence. No policy nor police were involved. Nothing more cutting than words were used and certainly, nothing more durable than ego was harmed.
Still, it was a spectacle drawing punters and puns alike, not least because an unstoppable Hakka woman (from a VVIP family some more) meets head-on an immovable object (a blue-chip company some more). All that’s missing from this equivalent of a car wreck is a 4D number.
Here are five lessons from this episode:
- Don’t make public what should be private
- Stick to the issue
- Know when to lose the battle but win the war
- Membership has its privileges
- Do not copy and paste
Why ST did not publish Dr Lee Wei Ling's column
In a Facebook post on Apr 1, Dr Lee wrote: "i will no longer write for SPH as the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech. in fact, that was the reason why i posted the article on LKY would not want to be hero-worshipped."
I had been editing Dr Lee's columns since last Nov. So it pained me when she also alleged that those who edited her columns had been "commanded to edit certain issues out, and they are to (sic) timid to disobey, and too embarrassed by their timidness to tell me the truth".
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Why Dr Lee's column was not published
In reviewing opinion pieces, an editor strives to stay true to the thrust and tone of the commentator, while bearing in mind professional standards relating to accuracy, fairness, the use of language, coherence, relevance, brevity, the law, and judgment on matters such as race and religion, among other things.
In the case of Dr Lee's contributions, her ideas had to be honed and language tightened.
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Dr Lee Wei Ling reveals contentious part of unpublished article for ST
Churchill and Mao might have caused the rift between The Straits Times (ST) and its popular column contributor, Dr Lee Wee Ling.
Dr Lee revealed on her Facebook page yesterday the contentious part of her article, that mentioned the death commemorations of the two legendary world leaders, and which ST editors said were "irrelevant", according to her.
She had produced her article in full earlier on Facebook on March 25 without making any comment.
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Lee Wei Ling: Reference to Mao Zedong and cronyism were parts ST wanted censored
In a note written in her facebook today (6 Apr), Dr Lee highlighted the parts which an ST editor wanted out from her commentary.
Dr Lee had compared the leaders of two countries – Mao Zedong of China and Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom – with her father. While China hurriedly built a monument to its leader (who it considered semi-divine) Britain only commemorated her prominent leader 50 years later, Dr Lee said.
She said Mr Lee Kuan Yew was dead set against a personality cult and any hint of cronyism, and would have preferred a commemoration like that accorded to Mr Churchill 50 years later, over the one sanctioned by the government which started on 23rd March with a remembrance ceremony held at the former Parliament House, and lasted for an entire week.
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Lee Wei Ling reveals what ST wanted to take out from her ‘hero worship’ commentary
She made two updates today (Apr 6). The first was a short cryptic sentence which said, “honour the spirit of what my father stood for”.
The second update would seem like a complete copy of her ‘hero worship’ commentary, but on closer reading three-quarters of the way through this post, she inserted the following line:
“[Below is what my SPH editor considered irrelevant. I felt this information puts Papa’s one year commemoration in the context of what other countries do.]”
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Lee Wei Ling FaceBook - 21 hrs
[Below is what my SPH editor considered irrelevant. I felt this information puts Papa's one year commemoration in the context of what other countries do.]
Allow me to compare how two other world leaders who were adored or apparently adored were commemorated by their government and/or people. Firstly when Chairman Mao died on 9 September 1976, the country was in shock. This was partly the result of the keenly felt loss of a semi-divine leader, but also caused by the enormous uncertainty about what the future held in stock for China and its people. The power struggle between Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four on the one hand, and Mao's designated successor Hua Guofeng on the other, which had been smoldering for some time caused grave anxiety for many people in China. However, on 6 October 1976, within a month after Mao's death, Hua had the Gang of Four arrested. Two days after the arrest of the Gang, the highest organs of the party and the state decided that a Memorial Hall would be built as a permanent tribute to the founder of the People's Republic. On 24 November 1976, the foundation stone for the gigantic building, located to the south of the Monument to the People's Heroes on Tiananmen Square was put in place. The construction went on day and night, and the building was finished on 29 August 1977. On that same day, Mao's body, which had been embalmed and placed in a crystal sarcophagus, was moved to the Hall. On 9 September 1977, a ceremony was held to commemorate the anniversary of Mao's death and the completion of the Hall.
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Dr Lee made serious allegation about my conduct as journalist: Janadas Devan
The trigger for an online exchange between Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Janadas Devan was a “serious allegation” she made about his conduct while he was an editor with The Straits Times (ST), Mr Devan said on Monday (Apr 4).
Responding to TODAY’s queries via text messages, the 61-yr-old senior government official, who is currently travelling, stressed that he posted responses to Dr Lee’s comments in his private capacity. What was said by Dr Lee -- who is the daughter of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew — amounted to “a serious allegation about my conduct in my previous occupation”.
Mr Devan worked for ST before he was appointed Chief of Government Communications in 2012. The exchange between Dr Lee and Mr Devan was a major talking point on social media in recent days, which began with Dr Lee’s Facebook post on Mar 25 stating that her father would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death.
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Online spat between Chief of Govt Communications & LKY’s daughter about LKY’s blurb on book
Janadas Devan, Chief of Government Communications (CGC), is a long-time friend of Lee Wei Ling (LWL), who is Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter.
Both parties have decided to take their dispute online by responding to each other’s version of events regarding a book authored by the former Straits Times editor-in-chief, Cheong Yip Seng.
But before we start, let’s recap what has happened so far:
- The online rant by LWL began when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was away to the United States for a work trip last week (March 26 to April 2).
- In her Facebook post dated March 25, LWL criticised The Straits Times‘ extensive coverage on LKY’s one year death anniversary, adding that her dad “would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death”.
- On April Fools’ Day, LWL was not joking when she declared that she would no “longer write for SPH (Singapore Press Holdings)”. LWL claimed that the editors did not allow her freedom of speech.
Online Duel between LKY’s daughter and Janadas Devan, Chief of Government Communications
Round 1: Lee Wei Ling vs The Straits Times
- Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter Lee Wei Ling has taken to Facebook with a series of posts on how SPH has “do not allow me the freedom of speech”.
- In another post dated 2 Apr, Lee Wei Ling went on to say that former Straits Times editor-in-chief, Cheong Yip Seng, was “sly” in asking her father to write a foreword for a book that was critical of him.
related:
Lee Wei Ling FaceBook - April 2 at 5:26pm
to the numerous people who have requested to join as a friend on my facebook, there is no need. i won't post often, but when i post, it will be on issues that Singaporeans should know about, and so it will be posted like this announcement, meaning completely public. u don't have to join as my Facebook friend to read. So those who have been requesting to join since i started posting, i don't have time to invite you as friends, and u don't need to be friend to read me. i have had my articles edited by SPH editors prior to posting on Facebook. On selected issues, my main message was not allowed through or allowed through but blurred. i have since gone through three editors, and have come to the conclusion that the editors have been instructed to edit out "sensitive issues" in my articles. i am now confident that if i have something significant to say, i will have enough audience on Facebook. you will have to tolerate my spelling error which is usually so slight that you can guess what word i had intended. that is a symptom of my dyslexia. as for not capitalizing the "I" when i type from my laptop, my word processing program does not seem so smart as some other word processing programs, but it also smart enough to NOT substitute a totally different word to replace my slightly misspelled word.
Editor's note
In a FaceBook post last Fri, Dr Lee Wei Ling said that she would no longer write for Singapore Press Holdings, as "the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech".
She cited this as the reason for putting on FaceBook her latest commentary on the anniversary of her father's death.
She also alleged that the 3 successive editors who had worked with her on her past columns were all "commanded to edit certain issues out".
Editing is not the same as censorship
Much as I dislike publicly contradicting a friend, there is no alternative.
I was the one who, when I was with The Straits Times, first edited Wei Ling's columns. Most of the pieces that appeared in her recent collection, A Hakka Woman's Singapore Stories, were edited by me.
Wei Ling now says she suffered suppression under three editors - beginning presumably with me. She has unjustly questioned the professional conduct of a number of my former colleagues as well as myself.
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Let Singaporeans express sentiments as they will
I read with interest Dr Lee Wei Ling's FaceBook posts about the public commemorations for the first year of her father's death being excessive and bordering on hero worship, and criticizing The Straits Times for not running her commentary on this.
I have a different view. This outpouring of emotion is welcome and natural, especially as it comes only a year since the death of our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
In our own private lives, the first anniversary is always a special commemoration, so why not for a great leader who had devoted his entire life and more to his beloved country?
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Reading Wei Ling’s unedited writings was like sailing through a fog
Here are our favourite smackdowns delivered by JD
“We are expected to believe she suffered so much oppression, writing for ST, that she willingly persisted with the experience over almost ten miserable years.”
“Reading Wei Ling’s unedited writings was like sailing through a fog. The effort of turning her raw material into coherent articles — that’s what I remember most about editing Wei Ling.” #burn
“It beggars belief that she now presents herself as someone who was suppressed and silenced.” #TheSaltIsReal
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Former ST Editor Trashes Lee Wei Ling’s Writing, Accuses Her of Smearing His Reputation
Former editor for The Straits Times, Janadas Devan has trashed the writings of Lee Wei Ling, and appears to suggest that without his editing skills, her work wouldn’t amount to much.
His response is part of an ongoing public spat between him and the daughter of the late Lee Kuan Yew, who recently rapped SPH for censoring her work.
Janadas said that the spat was sparked by a “serious allegation” made by Lee about his conduct as a journalist.
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Censored or Edited: LWL in The Straits Times
IF IT wasn’t for the fact that she is Dr Lee Wei Ling, not much attention would have been paid to her complaints that she had been “censored” and deprived of her freedom of speech by ST. In my past life, I heard this complaint all the time. From the political opposition, who lamented that their words have not been carried even though they said nothing fresh nor startling. From commercial groups, which think that every new product development or service enhancement is worthy of everybody’s attention. Even from the G, some members of which think any G word or action is news simply because it emanates from, well, the G.
Journalists seldom say their work have been censored; they use the word “edited”. That’s because they know it goes through professional, more experienced hands who look at the work through several prisms – which usually ignores the writer’s ego. It is a sad fact of life that whatever you think, say, or write isn’t necessarily always worth the space, bandwidth, or airtime in the media. Maybe, just some of it is. Maybe it needs greater clarity. Maybe it lacks focus. Good writing is damn hard work, especially for those who don’t do it every day.
Censorship is a big word to use, and implies some sort of non-professional bias at play. That bias could be personal (can’t stand the fellow, so not publishing!) or ideological (I don’t agree, so I won’t publish!). Then there is that big word that is in every editor’s mind – whether the topic is “sensitive”. I understand, for example, why suicides are not reported (because it encourages copycats) and why the media pulls its punches when running controversies about religion and race. Frankly, the “safest” stories to report on are happenings in open court or in Parliament. But even then, there would be accusations that parts which had not been reported had been “censored”.
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ST’s coverage of the Lee Wei Ling incident is curiously problematic
If you’re someone who did not follow the Lee Wei Ling (LWL) versus Janadas Devan (JD)/Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) story and flipped open The Straits Times (ST) forum page today (Apr 5), you’ll likely to go “WTH just happened?” after seeing three letters (here, here, and here) in the forum on this issue, including one from its editor.
ST certainly has a weird way of reporting about the brouhaha – it did not carry any news report regarding the issue; just a sudden barrage of forum letters.
Guess Captain Context was on leave today.
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The Straits Times Responds To Lee Wei Ling’s Allegations, And The Burn Is REAL
Lee Wei Ling was previously a frequent contributor to a column in The Straits Times. Her columns over the past 12 years have been compiled into an SPH published book, A Hakka Woman’s Singapore Stories. ST refuted her claims completely.
ST clarified that all writers need to work with an editor.
related: LWL Pissed With Censorship, Claims She Will “No Longer Write For SPH”
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Wei Ling vs Straits Times – the one unanswered question
In the ongoing saga triggered by a Facebook post from Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter, Lee Wei Ling, the Straits Times editor has responded to charges by Ms Lee that “three successive editors who had worked with her on her past columns were all ‘commanded to edit certain issues out’.”
“This is altogether unfounded,” the Straits Times’ editor, Warren Fernandez, wrote in a note in the paper on Tuesday, 5 April.
As one noted online, it is strange for the editor to write such a note when the paper itself had avoided reporting on the spat, triggered by Ms Lee’s post, between her and the Chief of Government Communications, Janadas Devan.
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Dr Lee Wei Ling gagged?
WELL, well. Dr Lee Wei Ling is really letting it rip. She now says that she posted on her Facebook page her criticism of the hero-worship surrounding her father’s death anniversary because The Straits Times wouldn’t publish the piece. She says she was denied freedom of speech and won’t be contributing pieces to the newspaper anymore.
You can see all the sniggering that followed her post; I don’t need to post any here. But they revolve around how her father was probably instrumental in “gagging” the media and that it was ironic that she was now on the receiving end of media controls.
In what looks like a reaction to comments, she replies with a post about her father’s reactions to the book by former chief editor Cheong Yip Seng, OB Markers, on the Singapore media. She let on something that has been debated in some circles: why Mr Lee Kuan Yew wrote the foreword for the book which exposed the G’s relationship with the media in Singapore. I use the word “exposed” deliberately because it brought to light the private dealings between editors and the G, including lunches and Istana briefings. Things that I thought I would take with me to the grave were aired in public.
related:
criticism of the hero-worship
denied freedom of speech
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Janadas Devan describes Lee Wei Ling as an incoherent writer – denies she was censored
Mr Janadas Devan has made a further comment on Dr Lee Wei Ling’s post revealing that he was the one who edited Dr Lee’s book, “A Hakka Woman’s Singapore Stories”. He disputed Dr Lee’s remarks that she suffered suppression by the editors at The Straits Times (ST).
Mr Devan further clarified to Today newspaper that he responded to Dr Lee’s posts in his private capacity.
“Dr Lee alleged that she had three editors and all three editors acted improperly with regard to her articles. I was one of the editors, as many people know. Not to have replied to deny such insinuations means I accept them… Dr Lee must know you can’t make such allegations about people and expect them to keep quiet,” Mr Devan said.
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Lee Wei Ling’s stance against The Straits Times reminds the newspaper to be unbiased in its reporting
Many have previously observed that The Straits Times often works against free speech by refusing to publish letters, articles and comments which go against the opinion they wish to present. In many incidences of such alleged censorship, reports on public interest issues have been arguably slanted and unobjective.
The danger to that is that the public’s right to information is compromised because of The Straits Times apparent agenda. To compound things, The Straits Times is the only major English publication in Singapore which the government openly recognises and quite possibly the only English print media outlet that the government grants interviews and directly engages with. Given their privilege of access, it is concerning that it then seemingly uses this privilege to influence the public to a certain view which many have deemed as biased.
Dr Lee Wei Ling, daughter of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew has just announced that she will no longer write for The Straits Times because of the “editorial curbs” that have been imposed by the publication I can only speculate that this decision has something to do with the paper’s refusal to publish her views over the “hero worship” of her father after her Face Book posts.
related:
Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter says she will no longer write for SPH
Janadas Devan chides LKY’s daughter for not fact checking – claims ST
Janadas Devan accuses ST editor of being sly – Lee Kuan Yew was not
ST editor tells Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter to be happy that “we don’t spit
Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at hero worship says his daughter
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Janadas Devan chides Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter for not fact checking – claims ST editor was not scolded by PM
Dr Lee responded to Mr Devan’s snide remark in her Facebook. We republish her remark in full:
- “Janadas, read my post carefully. I stated that Cheong Yip Seng told me, “not scolded, just to point out a few issues.” As for what you said to me, it was some years ago, you were expressing anger that Cheong was not straight with father. I could not remember your precise words, but I clearly remembered your emotion. Why else would I bring it up with Pa what you said.
- Would Cheong Yip Seng email to PM without someone telling him to do so? I was told that Cheong was scolded by (Lee Hsien) Loong, but I stated in my facebook post, that Cheong Yip Seng told me, “not scolded, just to point out a few issues.”
J Devan accuses ST editor being sly - LKY not bothered, but PM Lee ‘scolds’ editor
Janadas Devan describes Lee Wei Ling as an incoherent writer – denies she was
LWL’s stance against The Straits Times reminds the newspaper to be unbiased
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Is PM Lee at odds with his sister Dr LWL
Cringe-worthy comments on Lee Wei Ling’s note – LKY was the “second coming
Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter says she will no longer write for SPH
The cult for LKY’s image, and calling a spade a spade
Straits Times fails to publish LKY’s daughter’s viral note not to hero-worship
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Lee Wei Ling: SPH editors are too timid to disobey commands
Only her brother Lee Hsien Loong can control the Singapore press. In an earlier Facebook post, Lee Wei Ling said that she will boycott her brother-controlled Singapore Press Holdings.
You may view the original link here:
- if i seem to have posted the post below twice, the first time i did not realize i was in judith’s facebook. Judith has 2000 facebook friends and i asked her to help me distribute my message, and i am grateful for her help. just to be sure there is no misunderstanding, i am posting it again on what is my own Facebook.
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The salt is very real between Lee Wei Ling and Janadas Devan in latest exchange
This online brawl between Dr Lee Wei Ling (LWL) and Chief of Government Communications Janadas Devan (JD) does not seem to want to die down.
It’s great for the rest of us who want some drama to make Monday go by quicker.
But first, a quick recap:
- LWL, daughter of Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), announced on April Fools’ Day that she would no longer write for The Straits Times (ST), citing a lack of freedom of speech.
- Subsequently, LWL posted an update regarding former-ST editor Cheong Yip Seng’s book “OB Markers”.
- She highlighted how JD had supposedly called Cheong “sly” for getting LKY to write a foreword for a book which would subsequently seem to criticise the late LKY. LWL wanted to use this example to highlight how Lee had not restricted freedom of speech.
- JD then posted a comment on LWL’s Facebook page outlining three points: 1) PM Lee Hsien Loong did not call Cheong to “scold him”; 2) Lee did not write a foreword, but a blurb for Cheong’s book; 3) JD did not call Cheong “sly”, this was LWL’s characterisation of what happened.
LWL: I'll no longer write for SPH as editors there don't allow me freedom of speech
LWL: Dad “would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death”
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Lee Wei Ling Drives the Nail In Deeper on Censorship Practices of SPH Editors
“I have had my articles edited by SPH editors prior to posting on Facebook. On selected issues, my main message was not allowed through or allowed through but blurred. I have since gone through three editors, and have come to the conclusion that the editors have been instructed to edit out “sensitive issues” in my articles.“
Lee Wei Ling, the daughter of the late Lee Kuan Yew and a frequent columnist for Singapore Press Holdings, has continued her barrage of criticism against the company for censorship.
She has announced that she will no longer write for SPH, after the company’s newspapers refuse to publish she had written slamming the overly-grandiose hero-worship of the late Mr Lee, even one year after his death.
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LKY’s Daughter Feels the Brunt of Daddy’s Legacy, Declares SPH Boycott Over Censorship
The daughter of the late Lee Kuan Yew has declared a boycott on Singapore Press Holdings.
Lee Wei Ling has been a regular columnist for SPH, but today she announced on Facebook that she will no longer be writing for the company.
This comes after the paper refused to publish a piece she wrote condemning the over-the-top week-long commemoration of Lee Kuan Yew that took place last week – a year after his death.
related: ST Editor Not Sorry for “Spit on LKY’s Grave” Comments & LWL Insults
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Lee Wei Ling: The editors at SPH are too timid to disobey commands
Lee Wei Ling, the eldest daughter of the late Lee Kuan Yew has come forth to blast the editors at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for being “too timid to disobey commands” when they tried to censor an article which she had submitted to SPH titled “Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at the hero worship”
According to an April 1st posting on her Facebook page, Ms Lee said that the editors at SPH do not practice freedom of speech and that she will no longer write for them (SPH). Ms Lee has been a regular contributor to the SPH’s forum.
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Harry’s daughter KPKPing about being censored
After all, this is what Ms Lee posted on Facebook:
It was a love-hate relationship between me and my three consequetive editors. there may already been a space for my article, then the editor does not like what i wrote, and i refuse to have the relevant points deleted and the entire article is then dropped. when what each of the three editors objected to was so consistent, i decided they must have been commanded to edit certain issues out, and they are to timid to disobey, and too embarassed by their timidness to tell me the truth.And this is the headline from the SCMP Cheong Yip Seng tells how Lee Kuan Yew, who saw the press as subordinate to the nation’s needs, made sure that only he and his government could set the agenda for Singapore
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The odd one out – Lee Wei Ling
A CHANGE of heart or more than meets the eye? It seems that Dr Lee Wei Ling has turned her back on the Government.
Lee Wei Ling has always been some sort of maverick, a known fact among observers of local affairs. One has to wonder if she is given privileges or able to get away with murders since she is the daughter of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Anyhow, it was a surprise reading her Facebook post on 25 March 2016, stating that the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed given the hero worship one year after his death. Although some of us feel somewhat similar, too much fanfare and wayang-ness from many parts of the country.
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SG Press Freedom of Speech: 3 Sides To The Story
As the saying goes, there are 3 sides to every story – yours, mine and the truth.
Even though blood is thicker than water and Dr Lee Wei Ling is the only daughter of Mrs & Mrs LKY, she is no card-carrying member of the PAP. On the latter fact alone, I grant that her current run-in with SPH and the Chief of Government Communications (CGC) about not being allowed ‘freedom of speech’ is for no other reason(s) than what she had stated i.e. to have it told publicly, without censorship, her belief that LKY would have disapproved of the cult-like First Anniversary Remembrance activities of his death – and the prominence given in ST’s reporting.
Well, the ongoing toing-and-froing of he-said-we-said-she-said amongst the CGC, ST editors and Dr Lee will not settle the issue in any way whatsoever. More than a week has passed. There are other players behind the scene with other hidden agenda coming into play. The more it will be as the days go by i.e. provided it is not stopped dead in its tracks by a higher ‘unseen hand’.
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Suppression of Lee Wei Ling’s views started soon after Lee Kuan Yew died
In was reported in September last year that Dr Lee as well as her younger brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang had filed a lawsuit with the government as the defendant, over an issue about the usage of some of their late father’s interviews.
The children of Mr Lee are seeking the High Court’s guidance on a “proper interpretation of an interview agreement between the late Mr Lee and the Government”, The Straits Times reported.
They had requested copies of transcripts of interviews that their father made in 1981 and 1982 to the Government’s Oral History Department. They claim that the transcripts were in possession of the Lee Kuan Yew Estate.
Why we should support Dr Lee Wei Ling
For one, it takes an elite to take on an elite institution. We need someone of Dr Lee’s special immunity status to fight the ingrained self-censorship environment in Singapore against an elite institution like SPH.
If it was someone like say Dr Chee Soon Juan complaining that SPH won’t publish his commentary pieces, do you think anyone give two hoots about it?
Many detractors commented that Dr Lee’s father was the one responsible for curbing free speech in Singapore and that her brother, the current prime minister, continues to uphold the practice with the current government. As such, it is pure hypocrisy for Dr Lee to cry foul over censorship.
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What’s ST’s role in aggravating Lee Wei Ling’s grief on her father’s first death anniversary?
Over the past many days, many people have been excited by the exchanges between Dr Lee Wei Ling and the State-controlled newspaper, The Straits Times. For once someone big enough has come out to confirm their long-held belief that the newspaper practices censorship. Dr Lee had written an article protesting the heavy hero-worshiping and excessive adulation in commemorating the first anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew’s death. This, according to her, is something her father did not like or would approve. The editors decided it required some editing.
She accused them of censoring and limiting her freedom of speech and decided she would not want her edited article published in the newspaper. Instead she posted it herself on her own Facebook. She also said she would no longer write to the Straits Times. This obviously upset the editors and they became defensive. The original plot was buried and subplots quickly followed. They told her that her writings were rambling and incoherent that made editing tedious. “It’s like sailing through a fog”.
One even accused her of plagiarizing. With all these low blows, one should not expect the dispute to be settled amicably and in the end the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had to clarify himself.
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Build Upon Mr Lee’s Values to Take S’pore Forward
Tanjong Pagar was Mr Lee's "home base" and the constituency he represented for 60 yrs. It was outside the Parliament House that hundreds of thousands queued for hours to pay their last respects to Mr Lee when his body was lying in state. And it was in the Istana that Mr Lee spent the bulk of his life working for Singapore, Mr Chan said.
Speaking at one remembrance event yesterday (18 Mar), organised by Muslim welfare organisation Jamiyah, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, shared how Mr Lee's genuine concern for the community led him to suggest setting up self-help group Mendaki to help tackle the problem of academic underachievement among some in the community. Its success prompted the Government to set up similar self-help groups for other communities.
At the event, several children referred to Mr Lee as a "superhero" during a skit they performed. He is like Ironman, because he once said "whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him", said 6-yr-old Theodore Fun. And he had bionic eyes because he saw 51 years ago that Singapore would be a successful, multiracial society, said Choo Shaoning, 8.
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PAP Community Foundation pre-school orders its students to bow to great leader Lee Kuan Yew’s poster
Commenters to the post have remarked that what the young children are made to do “does not seem right.”
In a second video, the teachers can be heard explaining to the students that they had to bow three times to the poster of Lee Kuan Yew because he is a “great leader”.
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LWL was right. Take a look at this
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Was the reception to Lee Kuan Yew's passing just a knee-jerk reaction?
I have no doubt that Singaporeans and many people around the world felt genuine, emotional stirrings at the death of this giant, but that it was so short-lived makes one wonder. I suppose we can't expect people to be writing eulogies to him every day. We all know that life goes on. However, I believe that if you asked the people who had either strongly negative or neutral feelings, or those who could rationalise how they felt about his life and passing, the conviction of their sentiments would be the same now as they have been for years and will be for years to come.
So what of the seven-day mourners? Was it a knee-jerk reaction? Was it that people didn't expect to feel as much as they did when he left us? Or was it just that many had never thought about it before and never weighed the importance of this man in our history and future until he was gone? How much of it stemmed from pure ignorance?
One of the main things that struck me was the disgust with which people who had anything other than a kind word to say about him were treated. They were called ungrateful and disrespectful. They weren't allowed their own opinions — God forbid any judgements — or their own parting words to a man they had a different relationship with. When Lee Kuan Yew passed, he was apparently no longer just a great man; in the eyes of many, he had become a perfect man too.
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Social Media on the Late LKY’s children Online Squabble
“What social media has introduced for sure is an element of ‘live’ politics; you need to be able to react much faster – within hours – while bearing in the mind the consequences of what you are about to post,”The use of social media as a communication tool for politicians has steadily rose over the years and leading by example are Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India), Shinzo Abe (Prime Minister of Japan) and PM Lee of Singapore.
“The fact that Lee Wei Ling has found Facebook to express her opinions after being shut out by the mainstream media shows the value of social media,” said PN Balji, editor of The Independent Singapore and senior media consultant at RHT ARC Comms & Relations.
One of the core principles in politics is to be able to engage with your citizens, communicate your position to build support for your case so naturally social media makes sense.
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Family feud over how to mark LKY's death spills out online
Over the past fortnight, Dr Lee Wei Ling had written on her personal FaceBook page about her disagreement with the way the 1st death anniversary of her father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, was marked across the country last month.
Yesterday, she made public a series of e-mails on the matter, only to take them down from her Facebook page several hours later.
In the e-mails between her and Straits Times associate editor Ivan Fernandez, who was editing her columns, Dr Lee said she was "at odds" with her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew 2016
Singapore marks first anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew’s death. A series of activities were held today to commemorate the one-year death anniversary of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the world’s longest serving prime minister, who passed away at the age of 91.
Born in Singapore on Sept 16, 1923, Kuan Yew, helmed the government for over three decades.
Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in his posting on Facebook wrote: “A year ago today, Mr Lee Kuan Yew left us. Tens of thousands queued for hours to pay their last respects at Parliament House, where his body lay in state. As he made his final journey past the Padang, a 21-gun salute was fired.”
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What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?
New Law to Protect Lee Kuan Yew's Name and Image
LKY Passing: Good Intentions Gone Wrong
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Lee & Lee - The job has changed
"One World's View Of The Man"
Lee Kuan Yew on death: I want mine quickly, painlessly
A Post-LKY Singapore?
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew 2016
Online squabble about "Hero-Worship" of the late Lee Kuan Yew
Family feud over how to mark LKY's death spills out online
Govt rebuts Lawyer's comments on QFLP scheme
