18/05/2022

The famiLEE tree

Lee Kuan Yew In His Own Words

Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was a man equally at home whipping up a crowd at a rally or commanding attention on the international stage. Known for his acumen, foresight and wit, he held his own with the brightest minds and most powerful leaders and laid the foundation for the country's success.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth on Sep 16, CNA looks back at 10 of his more memorable quotes that were synonymous with the country's milestones and development:
  • On separating from Malaysia - For me, it is a moment of anguish because all my life ... You see, the whole of my adult life ... I have believed in Malaysian merger and the unity of these two territories.
  • On taking a long-term view for Singapore - I am calculating not in terms of the next election ... I am calculating in terms of the next generation; in terms of the next 100 years; in terms of eternity.
  • On how Singaporeans are not a people who can be bullied - You know, some people think: Oh well you know, we are a small place - they can put the screws on us. It is not so easy. We are a small place in size yes, geography.
  • On how governing Singapore is not simply a game - Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine.
  • On micromanaging people's private lives - I am accused often of interfering in private lives of citizens. And I say without the slightest remorse that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made the economic progress if we had not intervened on very personal matters
  • On what it takes to be a good minister - Remember this: Good ministers are not just those who kiss babies and smile and have dialogue sessions; you can have endless sessions, it's very good, you keep on listening and so on.
  • On how political leaders are judged - Political leaders are judged, first, by how effectively they have exercised their authority in the interests of their people.
  • On being an ardent advocate for Singapore's success - Even from my sickbed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel that something is going wrong, I will get up.
  • On saving and investing for a rainy day - They say we got enormous reserves. Yes, we do. But, you know, a few years of a recession, an economic setback, and all that will suddenly be depleted.
  • On what he cherished most - I cannot say I planned my life. That's why I feel life is a great adventure - exciting, unpredictable, and at times exhilarating and sometimes excruciating.

Lee Kuan Yew Doppelganger Spotted At Coffee Shop On 18 May 2022
Resemblance Leaves Internet Shook

The term doppelganger is used to describe someone who is a spitting image of another, although they are entirely biologically unrelated. While it’s incredibly rare to meet one in person, it’s not entirely impossible, as seen in this video posted on 18 May.

In the clip, a man resembling the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew chows down on a meal at a coffee shop. Perhaps it’s the camera’s angle, but the uncanny resemblance left the Internet shook. The video, which a Facebook user shared in the Singapore Incidents group, left commenters reeling from laughter, and they spared no expense when cracking jokes.

One joked that the man was the late Mr Lee’s body double. He had probably lost his job since the Minister Mentor (MM)’s passing. With the latest release of the CDC vouchers, another person suggested that he might be taking the opportunity to use them to pay for his lunch. Considering how eerie it must be to see the likes of someone who has passed, a Facebook user said the OP should count his lucky stars that the encounter happened in broad daylight.


Iving Iving May 18

Look like LKY having his meal !!!


Update 8 Mar 2023: 

The Oxley Saga Hasn’t Ended
Overwhelming Grief & Support For Lee Hsien Yang As He Flees The Country

On 7 Mar, Lee Hsien Yang made a Facebook post describing how he has been made a fugitive by his own country. This happened just because he stood up for a promise to his father Lee Kuan Yew. Both he and Lee Wei Ling have been fighting for what the late Lee Kuan Yew wanted – that he didn’t want his house to be preserved.

The Oxley Road saga is a controversial dispute among Lee Kuan Yew’s children, over the fate of their family home. Lee Kuan Yew had expressed in his will that he wanted the house to be demolished after his passing. This is to prevent it from becoming a place of worship or a political shrine. However, Lee Hsien Loong argued that the house should be preserved as a historical monument. Lee Hsien Yang noted that his brother had political motivations for preserving the house and accused him of abusing his power as Prime Minister to influence the decision. The dispute became public in 2017 when Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling accused their brother of abusing his power and of not fulfilling their father’s wishes. The government formed a ministerial committee to examine the options for the house. However, the siblings noted that committee was biased and lacked transparency.

In 2020, the government announced that it would not demolish the house, but would instead preserve it and open it to the public for visits. However, they did not only continue to go against Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes. They also continued to prosecute Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling. He has been his sister’s caregiver ever since the death of their father. Yet he is forced to leave the country because his family has been subjected to harassment and smear campaigns. Lee Hsien Yang expressed sadness that he is “unlikely ever to be able to see my sister face to face again”, and it pains him “beyond words”.



Lee Hsien Yang hints at never returning to Singapore, says he is unlikely to see his sister again
Mr Lee Hsien Yang's latest comments comes after Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament that the police have opened investigations into Mr Lee and his wife. PHOTO: ST FILE

Mr Lee Hsien Yang said on Tuesday that he may never return to Singapore amid an ongoing police investigation into him and his wife, Mrs Lee Suet Fern. In a lengthy Facebook post, Mr Lee, the younger son of first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, also said his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, is now extremely unwell.

“It pains me beyond words that I am unlikely ever to be able to see my sister face to face again,” he wrote. Dr Lee was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, she said in August 2020, describing it as a brain disease that slows physical movements and eventually leads to dementia with prominent behavioural changes.

Mr Lee’s latest comments come days after Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament on Thursday that police have opened investigations into Mr Lee and his wife for the possible offences of lying under oath. The couple left Singapore after refusing to go for a police interview that they had initially agreed to attend, Mr Teo said in a written reply. Police later said they left Singapore after being engaged in June 2022, and have not returned since.


Lee Hsien Yang @ 12h Singapore - My Country

I am heart-broken that I have been made a fugitive by my own country, for standing up for a promise to my father, Lee Kuan Yew.

Yet another attack has just been launched, re-litigating over again the same issues that were raised by Lee Hsien Loong after probate of Lee Kuan Yew’s will, at the ministerial committee in 2016/2017, in Parliament in 2017, and in disciplinary proceedings in 2019/2020.   I have now been condemned in Parliament and in the press without due process.  In these circumstances, how can there be fair and proper investigations or a fair trial, in what is clearly a politically-motivated prosecution?

It had seemed such a small request my father was making, that we should demolish his house.  However, after his passing in 2015, it was our own brother who opposed our father’s directions to us.  As a result, my sister Wei Ling publicly called Hsien Loong out as “the dishonourable son.” 



My friend sent this letter to me. It is a letter from LKY sent in 2010 to the cabinet.


Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer fined $13,000 for breaching confidentiality, misleading executors
The fine comes after Ms Kwa Kim Li was found guilty of misconduct unbefitting of an advocate and solicitor. PHOTO: ST FILE

The lawyer of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has been ordered to pay a penalty of $13,000 by a disciplinary tribunal. This is after she was found guilty of misconduct unbefitting of an advocate and solicitor in relation to several e-mails she sent to his children about his wills. Ms Kwa Kim Li was referred to the tribunal after the late Mr Lee’s two younger children, executors of his estate, complained that the lawyer had breached their father’s confidentiality, and also misled them.

Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang had taken issue with two separate e-mails that Ms Kwa sent to them and their older brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on June 4, 2015, and June 22, 2015. The e-mails contained information on the late Mr Lee’s deliberations and instructions over his wills. The findings of the two-man tribunal, consisting of Mr N. Sreenivasan and Mr Alvin Tan Kheng Ann, are the latest development in the Lee family feud over the late Mr Lee’s home at 38 Oxley Road.

In a report released on May 5, the tribunal said Ms Kwa was guilty of misconduct under section 83(2)(h) of the Legal Profession Act. The senior lawyer, a first cousin of the Lee siblings and a managing partner at Lee & Lee, had helped the late Mr Lee draft six wills between Aug 20, 2011, and Nov 2, 2012. His seventh and final will, dated Dec 17, 2013, was prepared by Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s wife. It had bequeathed equal shares of the late Mr Lee’s estate to his children, and also included a demolition clause for his 38 Oxley Road home.


Comparisons between Lee Suet Fern and Kwa Kim Li arise as LKY’s niece gets $13,000 fine for misconduct

Comparisons are being made between senior lawyers Lee Suet Fern and Kwa Kim Li after Ms Kwa was ordered to pay $13,000 in penalties for misconduct relating to the way she handled the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s wills. Ms Kwa is the niece of the late Mrs Kwa Geok Choo, wife of Mr Lee (LKY).

On May 5, a disciplinary tribunal found her guilty of misconduct unbefitting an advocate and solicitor after it determined that she made the false and misleading representation that the late Mr Lee never instructed her to change his seventh will. She was also found guilty of misleading the late Mr Lee’s children, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, by omitting to disclose her communications with their father between November 2013 and December 13, 2013, when they expressly asked her for information on what changes he wanted to make to his will. On top of this, Ms Kwa was found to have breached confidentiality by sharing documents with the late Mr Lee’s eldest son and current Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, without the consent of his siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, the executors and trustees of their father’s will.

As the disciplinary tribunal found the harm committed by Ms Kwa’s misconduct to be “low” and her culpability “low to medium,” it ordered her to pay penalties “sufficient and appropriate to the misconduct committed”. The tribunal also ordered Ms Kwa to pay $12,000 in costs and $9,182.29 in disbursements to Mr Lee Hsien Yang.


Lee Hsien Yang, wife Lee Suet Fern under police investigation for lying in judicial proceedings about Lee Kuan Yew's will
Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Mrs Lee Suet Fern left Singapore and remain out of the country during the police's investigations, says Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean

Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, lawyer Lee Suet Fern, are being investigated by the police for potential offences of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings over Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s will.

As part of the investigations, the police requested an interview with the couple, and they initially agreed to attend the interview, said Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean in a written parliamentary answer on Thursday (Mar 2). But the couple later had a change of heart and refused to attend the interview, Mr Teo added. In response to CNA's queries, the police said on Thursday night that it started investigations against the couple following a referral in October 2021.

The police contacted both of them in June last year and asked them to assist in investigations by attending a police interview. "They agreed to assist but requested a different date. The police acceded to the request and scheduled an interview in July 2022 based on their availability," the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said. But the couple did not turn up on the agreed date and sent a letter via email stating that they would not take part in the investigation. The police have advised them to reconsider taking part in investigations, but they left Singapore and have remained out of the country, said Mr Teo. In a Facebook post on Thursday night, Mr Lee Hsien Yang responded to the latest developments by claiming that the "persecution of my family by Singapore authorities continues unabated" and that he "was the real target".



How founding PM Lee Kuan Yew's last will was executed in 16 hours
In a photo taken on Aug 6, 2013, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew speaks at the book launch of One Man's View Of The World. PHOTO: ST FILE

Lawyer Lee Suet Fern has been found guilty by a disciplinary tribunal of grossly improper professional conduct in her handling of the last will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister and her father-in-law.

Her case will be referred to the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers' misconduct, and she could face a fine, suspension or be disbarred as a lawyer.

Here's a look at how the will was executed in 16 hours:
  • October 2010 to November 2012 - Madam Kwa Geok Choo, Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wife, died at the age of 89 on Oct 2, 2010. Thereafter, and before his last will in December 2013, Mr Lee executed six other wills.
  • September to October 2013 - Mr Lee's health deteriorated in 2013 and he was hospitalised for several weeks between September and October.
  • Dec 13, 2013 - Around Nov 30, 2013, Mr Lee discussed with Ms Kwa about making amendments to his sixth will.
  • Dec 16, 2013 - Mrs Lee Suet Fern sent Mr Lee a draft of what eventually became his last will.
  • Dec 16, 2013 - Mr Lee Hsien Yang replied to the e-mail his wife had sent.
  • Dec 16, 2013 - Mrs Lee Suet Fern e-mailed Ms Wong, her husband and Mr Lui to introduce the latter to them.
  • Dec 16, 2013 - Mr Lee Kuan Yew replied to his son's 7.31pm e-mail and said: "Ok. Do not wait for Kim Li. Engross and I will sign it before a solicitor in Fern's office, or from any other office."
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Mr Lee Hsien Yang replied to his father's e-mail and said someone would go to Oxley Road or his office at his convenience, and that Ms Wong had the contacts and would arrange it.
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Mrs Lee Suet Fern e-mailed Mr Lui to say: "Please be ready and accessible at short notice.
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Mrs Lee Suet Fern e-mailed Mr Lui again and said: "Be good to run. AM Are engrossments ready?"
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Mr Lui replied: "Preparing. 11am. EK will be with me. I keep the will?" EK referred to Ms Elizabeth Kong, another lawyer at Stamford Law.
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Mr Lui sent Mrs Lee Suet Fern another e-mail where he said: "Date of will is 2011 - I put today's date."
  • Dec 17, 2013 - Police logs showed that Mr Lui and Ms Kong arrived at 38 Oxley Road at about 11.05am. They left at 11.20am. In those 15 minutes inside the house, Mr Lee's last will was executed.


LHL welcome PM of Singapore


 Lee Chin Koon (father 1901)
Chua Jim Neo (mother 1903)

 Lee Kuan Yew (1923)
Dennis Lee Kim Yew (brother 1925)
Freddy Lee Thiam Yew (brother 1927)
Monica Lee Kim Mon (sister 1930)
Dr Lee Suan Yew (brother 1935)

 Kwa Geok Choo (wife 1920)

 Lee Hsien Loong (son 1952) - Wong Ming Yang (wife, deceased) / Ho Ching (wife)
 Dr Lee Wei Ling (daughter)

 Lee Hsien Yang (son 1957) - Lim Suet Fern (wife)
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 The Lee Family Tree

 Lee Kuan Yew

 Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away at the age of 91, on 23 March 2015. But his contributions to Singapore will forever be etched into our nation’s history.

 Read our story on the 91 things we’ll remember about him and his life story here. Mr Lee Kuan Yew suffered from slight dyslexia, though his condition didn’t deter him from achieving unrivalled success in the region.

 Education:
  • He attended Telok Kurau English School before moving on to Raffles Institution, where he secured a scholarship to attend Raffles College.
  • He graduated from Cambridge University and read law at Fitzwilliam College.
Career:
  • LKY was the first Prime Minister of Singapore and served from before Singapore’s independence in 1959, till 1990.
  • He also served the Tanjong Pagar constituency for nearly 60 years as a Member of Parliament.
  • He was the man who transformed Singapore from a third-world country to a bustling first-world metropolis, with international media such as BBC in awe at how LKY engineered Singapore’s miraculous economic transformation.
  • Leaders worldwide recognized his contributions with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe referring to him as “one of the greatest leaders of modern times that Asia has produced”.
  • He was duly awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers — the highest honour for foreign leaders conferred by the Japanese.

 Kwa Geok Choo

 Behind every successful man there stands a woman. And for LKY, that woman was none other than Madam Kwa Geok Choo.  She and LKY got secretly married in England, 1947 before remarrying in Singapore in 1950. She gave birth to three children: Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling.

 But she wasn’t just a wife — she was a pillar of strength, confidante and advisor to LKY. You can read their love story here.

 Education:
  • Just like LKY, Mdm Kwa studied at Raffles College, and was the sole female student in the distinguished institution. The two often vied for top spot in the school, and their competition of sorts blossomed into romance.
  • She studied law at Girton College in Cambridge University — where she graduated as a Queen’s Scholar from Malaya.
Career:
  • Together with her husband, the two founded the Lee & Lee law firm.

 Lee Hsien Loong

 PM Lee is the eldest son of LKY and Mdm Kwa. He got married to his first wife, Dr Wong Ming Yang 黄名扬 and had two children with her — a son and a daughter. Sadly, she passed away in 1982 of a heart attack, reported The Straits Times.

 Education:
  • He followed in his parent’s footsteps and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University. He was a Senior Wrangler — one of the greatest attainable intellectual achievements in Britain. But he didn’t stop there.
  • He earned himself a Diploma in Computer Science from Cambridge and a Master of Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Career:
  • Prior to his involvement in the political scene, PM Lee served in the Singapore Armed Forces from 1971 to 1984 where he was promoted to brigadier-general.
  • He took over from Mr Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister in 2004, after serving under him as Minister For Trade and Industry, Minister for Finance and Deputy Prime Minister.
  • He is also currently heading the PAP team in the Ang Mo Kio GRC.
  • Read our story on how PM Lee and his father fare against each other in a head-to-head comparison.

 WONG Ming Yang 黄名扬 (Deceased October 28, 1982 aged 31)
PM Lee weds ex-fellow from Cambridge
Togetherness
A Proud & Happy Day for the Lees
Mrs. Lee née Dr. Wong Ming Yang 李夫人黄名扬医生 (Married 20 May 1978)

Married 20 May 1978 & Passed on 28 Oct 1982
A Moment of Grief
Mrs. Lee née Dr. Wong Ming Yang 李夫人黄名扬医生

Ho Ching

 Personal Life:
 Education:
  • Ho Ching was named Student of the Year after becoming one of the top students of her cohort while at National Junior College.
  • She graduated from NUS with first-class honours in Electrical Engineering and obtained her Masters of Science (Electrical Engineering) from Stanford University.
Career:
  • She started out as an engineer in the Ministry of Defence in 1976 and has held positions such as Director of Defence Materiel Organisation and Deputy Director of Defence Science Organisation.
  • She moved on to Singapore Technologies in 1987 and became its President and CEO in 1997.
  • Since 2002, Ho Ching has been the CEO of Temasek Holdings.

 Lee Wei Ling

 Dr Lee Wei Ling is the younger sister of PM Lee and elder sister of Mr Lee Hsien Yang.

 At 62-years of age Dr LWL is still single and has given reasons for her choice. She served as LKY’s personal doctor as mentioned by PM Lee in his private eulogy speech for his father, and was her father’s close companion. Read our story on Dr LWL’s view on healthcare here.

 Education:
  • Like her other siblings, Dr LWL is a President Scholar.
Career:
  • Dr LWL is a neurologist and former director and senior consultant of the National Neuroscience Institute.
She used to write for The Straits Times from 2008 to 2009, but left when she claimed the editors didn’t allow her to exercise her freedom of speech, reported AsiaOne. She also wrote a book, entitled “A Hakka Woman’s Singapore Stories”.

 Lee Hsien Yang

 LHY got married to Lim Suet Fern and they have three sons.

 Education:
  • The youngest of the three siblings, LHY graduated from National Junior College and was awarded the President’s Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship.
  • Another graduate from Cambridge University, he obtained a double first in Engineering Science and has a Masters of Science in Management from Stanford University.
Career:
  • Just like his elder brother, LHY rose through the ranks in the Singapore Armed Forces and became a brigadier-general.
  • He was the CEO of Singtel from 1995 to 2007.
  • From 2007 to 2013, he was the Chairman of Fraser and Neave.
  • LHY is the current Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CASS).

 Lim Suet Fern

 LSF has three children with LHY: Li Huanwu, Li Shengwu and Li Shaowu.

 Education:
  • LSF undertook Law and graduated from Cambridge University in 1980 with a double first, just like her husband.
Career:
  • The 59-year-old is currently the Managing Partner of Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC, a leading Singapore-based regional law firm.
  • She has served on the boards of publicly listed companies all over the world, including Hong Kong and New Zealand.
  • She was also formerly the President of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.

Lim Suet Fern's father Prominent economist Lim Chong Yah
Professor Lim Chong Yah was an eminent economist who led a body forging wage consensus for Singaporean workers for nearly three decades. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Professor Lim Chong Yah, an eminent economist who led a body forging wage consensus for Singaporean workers for nearly three decades – died on Saturday morning. He was 91.

The son of a shopkeeper, Prof Lim was born in Malacca. His mother died when he was eight. He was awarded a scholarship to study economics at the University of Malaya, which was then located in Singapore, and later joined the Singapore administrative service.

He leaves two daughters and two sons. His eldest child is lawyer Lee Suet Fern, who is married to Mr Lee Hsien Yang – the younger son of first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.


 Li Hongyi

 Li Hongyi is the second son of PM Lee and Ho Ching. He has expressed that he has no interest in politics.

 Education:
  • He was from Rosyth Primary under the Gifted Education Programme.
  • He moved onto Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Raffles Junior College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
  • He won the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math & Science in the year 2006.
Career:
Li Shengwu

 Li Shengwu has publicly backed his father (Lee Hsien Yang) and aunt’s (Lee Wei Ling) claims on Facebook.

 He believes news in Singapore is heavily controlled by the government and he’s said  “…my immediate family has been increasingly worried about the lacks of checks on abuse of power”.

 Education:
  • Li Shengwu is a student alumni of Raffles Junior College, where he represented Singapore at the 2003 debate world championships.
  • His passion for debate saw him beat 700 others to the “Best Speaker” award at the 2010 World Universities Debating Championships.
  • He topped his class in the Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Balliol College in Oxford and pursued a Masters in Economics at Oxford’s Kebel College.
  • His PhD was from Stanford University.
  • He has been a Junior Fellow at Harvard Society of Fellows since 2016.
  • Read our story on 12 Ling Shengwu facts you never knew about.
read more

Professor Shengwu Li Named 2023 Sloan Fellow

Professor Shengwu Li, Assistant Professor of Economics, has been awarded the 2023 Sloan P. Foundations Fellowship prize.

The Sloan Fellowship Awards are given annually in eight scientific and technical fields which include chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, earth systems science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics.

Fellows are chosen from among candidates nominated by their fellow scientists and selected by an independent panel of senior scholars based on their research accomplishments, creativity, and potential as young scientists who will become leaders in their fields.


National athlete calls out ST’s double standards amid latest Lee family feud development

National athlete Soh Rui Yong has highlighted the Straits Times’ double standards in reporting about founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang, as Singapore watches the latest turn in the bitter Lee family feud play out in public.

His observation comes after Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean’s revealed in a parliamentary reply this week that Mr Lee and his wife Lee Suet Fern are being investigated by the police for allegedly lying in a legal proceeding relating to Lee Kuan Yew’s last will. In a comment under Mr Lee’s Facebook post, national long-distance runner Soh Rui Yong said that he is “quite disappointed the biggest Singapore media publisher completely ignored Li Shengwu’s landmark Sloan Research Fellowship award, but was so ready and eager to pump out the news of this (and previous) persecutions.” He added, “Doesn’t really do itself any favours to correct accusations of bias/state controlled media in my opinion.”

Mr Soh’s comment is the most popular out of all the responses netizens left on Mr Lee’s post. When one netizen commented that there was coverage of Mr Li Shengwu’s award, the athlete made it clear he was talking about the Straits Times as he said:
“I am aware that SOME media publishers in Singapore reported it. Perhaps I should have been clearer. (Was trying not to single out anyone) But let’s try again: The BIGGEST Singapore media publisher contains absolutely nothing on Shengwu’s award, till today. Do post a link here if I am wrong.”

Straits Times remains silent over Li Shengwu’s Sloan Research Fellowship award
While this is not unexpected to some, it may reinforce the popular perception that the mainstream media publication is the mouthpiece of the ruling party

While Singaporeans are showering praise on prominent mathematician Li Shengwu for being awarded the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship, Singapore’s national broadsheet has maintained conspicuous silence and has failed to report on his achievement.

Mr Li, an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University in the US, is the oldest son of Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Suet Fern. Mr Lee is the son of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the younger brother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Last week, Mr Li was announced as one of the awardees of the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship – a highly competitive award that has been conferred upon many prominent researchers over the years. Expressing his pride, his father Lee Hsien Yang wrote on Facebook:
“I am thrilled that Shengwu continues to bring honour to Singapore. In 2016 Shengwu was selected to become a fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, a rare distinction recognising young scholars for their potential to advance academic wisdom.”
Revealing just how important this distinction is for the nation, Mr Lee added: “I believe Shengwu was the first Singaporean inducted into the Harvard Society of Fellows. I don’t know whether any other Singaporean has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship before.” Congratulations quickly abounded for Mr Li and several prominent figures joined Singaporeans to praise the illustrious 38-year-old. Workers’ Party (WP) parliamentarian Jamus Lim, who is also an economist, called Mr Li’s achievement “a treasure for the country” while his colleague Leon Perera said, “Shengwu’s remarkable achievements should indeed make Singaporeans proud. Well done!” Renowned doctor and president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, Dr Paul Tambyah, also congratulated Mr Li.


 Li Huanwu

No call to social action this year -- I'll be more selfish: it's the day before my birthday (it's also the day after Magnus' birthday).

 Be there. (And grab a drink when you stop by.)

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 ALL IN THE FAMILEE

Associated words used by netizens: FamiLEE, LEE-gime, LEEgalised corruption, LEEgacy, and Marry-tocracy.

I was very curious about a Lee Family Tree graphic that was created by Alternative View SG.

I have gathered some excerpts from reliable sources which verify most of the family ties in this Lee Family Tree image.

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 Lee Chin Koon

 Lee Chin Koon (b. 1903 Semarang, Indonesia–d. 12 October 1997 Singapore) was a storekeeper and depot manager for the Shell Oil Company, and father of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

 Early life and education - Lee was born in the Indonesian town of Semarang to Lee Hoon Leong and Ko Liem Nio. When Lee was a baby, his parents took him to Singapore, where his father, Hoon Leong, hailed from. He was educated at St Joseph's Institution, and left school with a Junior Cambridge Certificate.

 Lee’s father worked as a dispenser after leaving school, and later became a purser with the Heap Eng Moh shipping line owned by tycoon Oei Tiong Ham. Before long, Lee having gained Oei’s trust and confidence, was accorded power of attorney over the tycoon's assets in Singapore. Lee recalled his childhood in a wealthy family, and a time when he was allowed a "limitless account" at Robinsons and John Little, two high-end department stores in Raffles Place. However, the Great Depression in the late 1920s, and early ’30s hit the family hard, and their fortunes suffered.

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 Mr Lee Kuan Yew's mother among 11 women inducted to Singapore Women's Hall of Fame

 11 outstanding Singaporean women past and present will be inducted to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame (SWHF) Friday evening (March 27) at a gala dinner to mark International Women's Day which fell on Mar 8.

 One of the posthumous honourees include Mdm Chua Jim Neo, mother of Singapore's founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mdm Chua, better known as Mrs Lee Chin Koon, wrote her definitive Mrs Lee's Cookbook in 1974 when she was 67 yrs old. Mdm Chua decided to produce a cookbook so that future generations would know about the intricacies of Peranakan cuisine.

 She was just 15 when she wed Mr Lee Chin Koon in an arranged marriage. In his memoirs, her eldest son, the late Mr Lee wrote: "She had been married off too early. Had she been born one generation later and continued her education beyond secondary school, she could easily have become an effective business executive."

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 8 Facts About Chua Jim Neo That Show She’s More Than Just Lee Kuan Yew’s Mother
Chua Jim Neo Published A Definitive Nyonya Cookbook At 67, 50 Years After Lee Kuan Yew’s Birth

 As we prepare for the National Day festivities, let’s take a moment to remember a lady who in many ways is responsible for the Singapore we know today.

 She is the late Madam Chua Jim Neo, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s mother.

 Mdm Chua passed away on 8 August, 1980, at the age of 73. Here are 8 interesting facts about the woman that give us a glimpse into not only Mr Lee’s life, but as well as the Singapore of yesterday.
  • Married at 15
  • Stood her ground against her husband
  • Saved her jewellery for LKY’s education
  • Inducted into Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame
  • Published a cookbook
  • Her dad had 3 wives
  • Complex fam web
  • Driver’s licence cancelled by LKY

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 Hall of Fame: Chua Jim Neo

 Chua Jim Neo, better known as Mrs Lee Chin Koon, wrote her definitive Mrs Lee’s Cookbook in 1974 when she was 67 years old. At an age when many women of her generation were content to play with their grandchildren, Jim Neo decided to produce a cookbook so that future generations would have access to the intricacies of the Peranakan cuisine. The book, reprinted many times, is considered one of the most authoritative on Peranakan cuisine in Singapore.

 Born in 1907, Jim Neo was the eldest child of Neo Ah Soon and wealthy Hokkien businessman Chua Kim Teng from Pontianak in Dutch Borneo. At age 15, she married Lee Chin Koon, a storekeeper, in an arranged marriage. She had five children, a daughter and four boys, the eldest of whom was Kuan Yew, who became prime minister of Singapore in 1959.

 In his memoirs, Kuan Yew described his mother thus: “She devoted her life to raising her children to be well-educated and independent professionals, and she stood up to my father to safeguard their future. My brothers, my sister and I were very conscious of her sacrifices; we felt we could not let her down and did our best to be worthy of her and to live up to her expectations.”

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 The Lee Family Tree

 The Lee family dispute — where allegations were made against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong by his own siblings, has been a messy affair.  Ever since the joint statement released by Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang on June 14, there has been a constant stream of he-said she-said on Facebook, with the siblings embroiled in a war of words.

 The statutory declaration published by PM Lee last night uses many acronyms to represent the people involved. And it isn’t easy for the public to follow as most are unfamiliar names.

 We decided to provide some background information of the Lee family involved in the dispute, so you are better able follow the events.

 related: The Lee Family Saga — The Full Timeline Of Events

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 Explainer: Singapore's ruling family feud
FILE PHOTO: Lee Kuan Yew (centre), architect of modern Singapore, and his family celebrate his 80th birthday in Singapore, Sept 16, 2003. From left to right: daughter-in-law Lee Suet Fern, son Lee Hsien Yang, Chief Justice Tong Pung How, daughter Lee Wei Ling, Lee, wife Kwa Geok Choo, son Lee Hsien Loong, daughter-in-law Ho Ching and granddaughter Li Xiuqi. (Reuters)

 A public rift between the heirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first and longest-serving prime minister, has for years rumbled in the wealthy city-state regarded as an island of stability in Southeast Asia. The dispute revolves around what to do with their late father's house at 38 Oxley Road - demolish it, or let the government decide whether to make it a heritage landmark.

 On one side of the dispute stands the eldest son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 67, who believes the government must decide what should be done.

 On the other are his siblings - Lee Kuan Yew's daughter, Lee Wei Ling, and his youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang. They say their father's will stated the house should eventually be demolished after his death and they have accused Prime Minister Lee of wanting to preserve the house to build his own political capital.

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 LKY’s Maternal Ancestors Found!
Saturday 2 nd August, descendants are brought to visit the cluster of tombs belonging to Chua Kim Teng,  Seow Geok Luan and Chua Eng Cheong by Raymond Goh

 Today’s Chinese newspaper Zaobao,   reported on a significant find  of Lee Kuan Yew’s  maternal ancestry  in the depths of the forest  of Bukit Brown. It is the find of the year (2014) for Bukit Brown  researchers and bloggers  Raymond Goh and Walter Lim.

 The find was discovered on 1 st July.  From photos sent to Raymond by a tomb keeper in the area,  Raymond subsequently on the same day,  verified it on site as belonging to  Lee Kuan Yew’s family.  The find was  kept under wraps to allow Zaobao correspondent Chia Yen Yen, time to conduct further research with family members of Lee Kuan Yew, specifically his brother,  Dr Lee Suan Yew contributed this family  photo to the article.

 The 4 tombs were identified as belonging to  Chua Kim Teng and his two wives Seow Geok Luan and Leong Ah Soon,   and  Lee Kuan Yew’s  maternal great grandfather Chua Eng Cheong.  They are from Lee Kuan Yew’s mother side ie Mrs Lee Chin Koon nee Chua Jim Neo.  Leong Ah Soon’s grave is situated in Bukit Brown Cemetery, the other three are situated close together in a family cluster in  Lao Sua Hokkien Cemetery which is located in the hill known as Bukit Brown in old maps. Lau Sua Hokkien Cemetery is adjacent to Bukit Brown Cemetery.

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 Discover ideas about Lee Kuan Yew

 Family Portrait Mr Lee Kuan Yew (in black) in a family portrait the night before he left for England for further studies. Clockwise from left, Mr Lee's siblings Monica, Dennis, Freddy and Suan Yew, his mother Chua Jim Neo and father Lee Chin Koon.

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 Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Brother used his wits to help family

 One of my mother's favourite stories of LKY was about the time she taught him his ABCs.

 In those days, colourful alphabet toys were not available, so my mother made her own by cutting out letters from The Straits Times' headlines.

 She said she showed the alphabet to LKY only once and when she shuffled the letters, my brother - who was just a few years old - managed to put all the letters back in the right order.

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 Remembering Lee Kuan Yew
Mr Lee Kuan Yew as a baby. This photo was taken after he won first place in a baby show

 A video is made to Remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Life Journey - This is a Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew for being a great leader.

 Click HERE or click on the image below to view the Video Montage of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Life Journney

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 Lee Kuan Yew: Family Man

LEE Kuan Yew was a man with few close friends. Those who knew him best and saw his tender, caring side came mainly from his tight family circle.

But others who interacted with him caught glimpses of the private man away from his public persona as Singapore's hard-driving, straight-talking first prime minister. At home, he was ever the devoted son who cared deeply for his mother, Chua Jim Neo, even if he upset her once by cancelling her driving licence when he decided she had become too old to drive.

She was an English-speaking Straits Chinese matriarch famed for her Peranakan culinary skills who died in 1980, aged 75. He greatly admired her for standing up to her temperamental, more carefree husband in order to keep the family finances healthy and raise her children properly.

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 Devoted husband and caring father

 LEE Kuan Yew was a man with few close friends. Those who knew him best and saw his tender, caring side came mainly from his tight family circle.

 But others who interacted with him caught glimpses of the private man away from his public persona as Singapore's hard-driving, straight-talking first prime minister.

 At home, he was ever the devoted son who cared deeply for his mother, Chua Jim Neo, even if he upset her once by cancelling her driving licence when he decided she had become too old to drive.

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 Life With The Lees: How An Ex-Nanny Spent 40 Years With Lee Kuan Yew’s Family
Ouyang Huanyan looked after Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s household from the 1940s

 While news of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s passing was spreading like wildfire on the Internet in Singapore, all was peaceful at Shun De Foshan, China. A 98-year-old lady, Mdm Ouyang Huan Yan, who was Mr. Lee’s former nanny, was oblivious to his demise until she was contacted by a reporter for an interview.

 Upon hearing the news, she said her heart felt heavy and that she hoped PM Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang would take care of their health and not be too grieved.

 Ouyang was an 18-year-old when she left her home in Xixi village, Guangdong province in 1934 with her sisters and aunts.  They were known as ma jie, amah or zi shu nu – women who took celibacy vows to better serve their masters. She first worked for Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese businessman and philanthropist, for nine years, before working for the Lees as Mr. Lee’s mother, Chua Jim Neo, took a fancy to her. The two families were neighbours then, with Ouyang frequenting the Lee’s since her friend was a domestic helper in the Lee’s.

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 Lee Kuan Yew: The Singapore Story

 My earliest and most vivid recollection is of being held by my ears over a well in the compound of a house where my family was then living, at what is now Tembeling Road in Singapore. I was about four years old. I had been mischievous and had messed up an expensive jar of my father's 4711 pale-green scented brilliantine. My father had a violent temper, but that evening his rage went through the roof. He took me by the scruff of the neck from the house to this well and held me over it. How could my ears have been so tough that they were not ripped off, dropping me into that well? Fifty years later, in the 1970s, I read in Scientific American an article explaining how pain and shock release neuropeptides in the brain, stamping the new experience into the brain cells and thus ensuring that the experience would be remembered for a long time afterwards.

 I was born in Singapore on 16 September 1923 in a large two-story bungalow at 92 Kampong Java Road. My mother, Chua Jim Neo, was then 16 years old. My father, Lee Chin Koon, was 20. Their parents had arranged the marriage a year previously. Both families must have thought it an excellent match, for they later married my father's younger sister to my mother's younger brother. My father had been brought up a rich man's son. He used to boast to us that, when he was young, his father allowed him a limitless account at Robinsons and John Little, the two top department stores in Raffles Place, where he could charge to this account any suit or other items he fancied. He was educated in English at St. Joseph's Institution, a Catholic mission school. He said he completed his Junior School Certificate, after which he ended his formal education--to his and my mother's eternal regret. Being without a profession, he could only get a job as a storekeeper with the Shell Oil Company when the fortunes of both families were destroyed in the Great Depression.

 I grew up with my three brothers, one sister and seven cousins in the same house. But because they were all younger than I was, I often played with the children of the Chinese fishermen and of the Malays living in a nearby kampong, a cluster of some 20 or 30 attap- or zinc-roofed wooden huts in a lane opposite my grandfather's house. It was a simpler world altogether. We played with fighting kites, tops, marbles and even fighting fish. These games nurtured a fighting spirit and the will to win. I do not know whether they prepared me for the fights I was to have later in politics. We were not soft, nor were we spoiled. As a young boy, I had no fancy clothes or shoes like those my grandchildren wear today.

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 MM Lee's last farewell to his wife

 Ancient peoples developed and ritualised mourning practices to express the shared grief of family and friends, and together show not fear or distaste for death, but respect for the dead one; and to give comfort to the living who will miss the deceased. I recall the ritual mourning when my maternal grandmother died some 75 years ago. For five nights the family would gather to sing her praises and wail and mourn at her departure, led by a practised professional mourner. Such rituals are no longer observed. My family’s sorrow is to be expressed in personal tributes to the matriarch of our family. In October 2003 when she had her first stroke, we had a strong intimation of our mortality.

 My wife and I have been together since 1947 for more than three quarters of our lives. My grief at her passing cannot be expressed in words. But today, when recounting our lives together, I would like to celebrate her life. In our quiet moments, we would revisit our lives and times together. We had been most fortunate. At critical turning points in our lives, fortune favoured us.

 As a young man with an interrupted education at Raffles College, and no steady job or profession, her parents did not look upon me as a desirable son-in-law. But she had faith in me. We had committed ourselves to each other. I decided to leave for England in September 1946 to read law, leaving her to return to Raffles College to try to win one of the two Queen’s Scholarships awarded yearly. We knew that only one Singaporean would be awarded. I had the resources, and sailed for England, and hoped that she would join me after winning the Queen’s Scholarship. If she did not win it, she would have to wait for me for three years.

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 Persisting Despite Everything
The Sunday Times Apr 24, 2011 By Lee Wei Ling

 My elder brother Hsien Loong’s son Yipeng was born on Oct 7, 1982. The baby had albinism, which means he had no pigment on his skin and eyes, and his vision would be impaired. Hsien Loong phoned our father to tell him about the baby’s condition, and added: ’He will not be able to do national service.’

 Loong’s late wife Ming Yang died of a heart attack three weeks after delivering the baby. I had just returned to Boston then after passing my MRCP (UK) examination, when my father phoned me to tell me that Ming Yang had died. I flew home immediately, and stayed for a month. Then I returned to Boston to continue my training in paediatric neurology.

 Recently, while clearing some papers, I came across old letters exchanged between my mother and me from that period. They speak of a sad time in our family, of persisting despite everything, of keeping faith with the fundamentals. Below I reproduce a letter from my mother to me, dated Nov 25, 1982, and my reply, dated Dec 7, 1982.

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Life with the Lees

 In 1945, Madam Ouyang Huanyan found employment as a housekeeper with a Lee family. Never did she expect the eldest son of the family to eventually become the Prime Minister of Singapore. She also witnessed the wedding of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Madam Kwa Geok Choo, his classmate from Cambridge University. It was a simple affair where relatives were invited to dinner.

 This anecdote and others are published in a book titled Zishu Nu From Shunde, by China Women Publishing House in 2006. It features the history and stories of Madam Ouyang and other women who left China to work as housekeepers and nannies in South-east Asia in the early 1900s. They all came from the Shunde district in Guangdong province.

 The book came to the attention of National Neuroscience Institute chief Lee Wei Ling recently. Dr Lee, Mr Lee's daughter, told The Sunday Times that a friend had chanced upon the book while visiting a village in China. In one of the chapters, Madam Ouyang, now 91 and still healthy (see box below), recounted her life in Singapore.

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 Lee Kuan Yew's legacy, Singapore's future and a family feud

 The rich and modern metropolis of Singapore is frequently described as an "economic miracle".

 When Lee Kuan Yew, the principal architect and first prime minister of the wealthy island state, died in 2015, over a million Singaporean residents turned out to honour his memory and his accomplishments - not the least of was the creation of an effective and largely incorrupt government and civil service, which proved a huge magnet to foreign investors.

 But with economic pressures increasing amid a growing appetite for greater democracy, Lee Kuan Yew's complex legacy is coming under scrutiny.

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 13 Controversies Of Lee Kuan Yew

 Lee Kuan Yew, no stranger to controversy.

 While he may have developed Singapore from economic backwaters to a First World Country, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew still had his fair share of controversies. A man of his status might have been revered by many, there are also many dissidents who want to bring him down.

 We delve into 13 controversies he was embroiled in:
  • Operation Coldstore
  • Media should be the government’s mouthpiece
  • Stop at Two
  • Land Acquisition Act
  • Graduate Mother’s Scheme
  • Eugenics
  • Francis Seow
  • The Hotel Properties Limited Saga
  • International Herald Tribune
  • Islam
  • Suing opponents into bankruptcy
  • Certificate Of Entitlement (COE)
  • High ministerial pay

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 Ministerial Committee Report on 38 Oxley Road

 MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE COMPLETES ITS WORK, LAYS OUT RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR 38 OXLEY ROAD FROM PRESERVATION TO DEMOLITION:
  • The Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road has completed its work and released its Report today.
  • The Report lays out a range of options for the Property – from preservation on one end, to demolition and redevelopment on the other. The Report does not make any recommendations and there is no need to make a decision on the Property now. The various options in the Report are meant to help a future government make an informed and considered decision when the need arises.
  • The Report addresses the Committee’s three terms of reference. First, the Committee assesses that the Property has architectural, heritage and historical significance. Second, it is the Committee’s view that while Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s preference was for the Property to be demolished, he was prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to ensure that: (i) the Property was refurbished, and kept in a habitable state; and (ii) the family's privacy was protected. Third, the Report lays out the possible plans and options for the Property, and the considerations for each of them, to serve as drawer plans for a future government.

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 I asked Ho Ching to enter politics: Goh Chok Tong
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and wife Ho Ching leave after an audience with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan October 5, 2017. (PHOTO: Reuters)

 Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong has revealed that in the early 1980s, he approached Ho Ching to enter politics – but was told that the timing was wrong.

 In the first volume of his newly-released memoirs entitled Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story, Goh, who was Prime Minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004, recalled that he had spotted Ho in the Ministry of Defence and thought that “she had the intellect and the attributes we were looking for”. “She would have made a good minister, a different kind of minister.”

 Ho, who is now chief executive of Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, was in her late 20s at the time. “She did not say no. She said not at this stage. She was still young.”


Do you agree with ESM Goh that Ho Ching would have made a good minister?

A book about Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong is making waves lately with its many revelations about various prominent figures.

 One such revelation was that Goh, in the early ’80s, had approached Ho Ching – while she was working in the Ministry of Defence, and before she married current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long – to join politics. Ho Ching is currently CEO of Temasek Holdings.

 Goh had thought “she had the intellect and the attributes we were looking for”, adding that “she would have made a good minister, a different kind of minister”. She did not say no, but rather, not at [that] stage.


 In approaching Ho Ching for politics, has Goh breached his duties as cabinet minister?

To me, the aspiration to hold political office should be a calling. As such, I never really understood or agreed with the ruling Peoples' Action Party's (PAP) practice of handpicking people who have not been involved in politics to join the party and run for office. If you want to get people who have hitherto not been involved in politics to join the political scene, you would have to entice them to join. They may have to leave their existing jobs and to get them to do that - wouldn't you have to sweeten the deal? This is perhaps why our current Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers are paid so well. Arguably, some were not really interested in political office to begin with and only joined the fray because they were invited to and perhaps made attractive offers? Are these the right type of candidates?

 I don't query the intellect of those who have been handpicked. That said, having a high intellect does not necessitate to being a good MP or minister. A good MP or minister needs to have more than intellect, he or she needs to have empathy, desire and passion to be involved in public service. My concern is that the system of handpicking people not involved in politics to join the party may attract candidates who are only in it for the money or prestige. This, in turn, means that the government has to constantly offer high remuneration as an incentive to otherwise uninterested people. Is this the best use of public money?

 Former Prime Minister and current Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (Goh), has in his newly-released memoirs entitled Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story, confirmed that this practice of inviting suitable candidates to join the firm. He revealed that "in the early 1980s, he approached Ho Ching to enter politics – but was told that the timing was wrong." He further said that Ho Ching "had the intellect and the attributes we were looking for”. This begs the question - What attributes are they looking for? It sounds rather vague doesn't it? We are left to speculate what exactly those attributes are. Is it a safe pair of hands that will toe the party line part of the desired attributes? Is what is best for PAP always what is best for Singapore as a country?


ESM Goh reveals Ho Ching didn’t say no when first approached to join politics

In the book, ESM Goh revealed that he did try to ask Ho Ching, presently the second wife of PM Lee, to join politics. But that was before she was married to PM Lee, after Lee's first wife Wong Ming Yang died shortly after giving birth to their first son, who was born with Albinism.

Goh said, "I did approach Ho Ching and ask her if she would be interested in politics. It was quite early on. She was about 28, 29 or 30, before she married Lee Hsien Loong." Goh said he spotted her in Mindef and thought that she had the necessary "intellect and attributes". "I knew she was a President's Scholar, but I didn't know her well - only superficially because she was in the science part of Mindef," he added.

"Through briefings and so on, I could see that she had a lot of substance. She would have made a good minister, a different kind of minister." Apparently, Ho Ching did not say no right away.


If we vote for PM Lee, we are also voting for Ho Ching as a package deal?

 I understand that political spouses have a certain role to play alongside their husbands or wives who are politicians. They are on hand to formally greet dignitaries and provide social support. This role however is ceremonial at best. It has no official capacity. After the initial greetings and pleasantries which are photographed, these spouses usually retreat when actual discussions commence.

It therefore comes as a surprise that wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (PM Lee), Ho Ching was reported to have joined PM Lee, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, China's Vice President Wang Qishan together with other Singapore ministers and officials, as the group sat down to discuss various issues.

While Ho Ching, as head of Temasek Holdings, is a powerful woman in her own right, it still remains that she has no official governmental role. In that regard, her presence at governmental discussions may be misplaced. Instead of sitting down to join the group in their discussions, shouldn't she have left after the initial greetings?


 “I thought of Hsien Yang for politics but he would be outshone by his brother”: Goh Chok Tong

Earlier in the biography, Goh asserted that he was the one who spotted and roped Lee Hsien Loong into politics. He also revealed that Lee Kuan Yew asked him to consider inviting his daughter Lee Wei Ling to join the ruling party but that he did not approach Lee’s middle child after Lee Hsien Loong advised him against it.

 When Peh asked Goh whether Lee Kuan Yew recommended that Goh rope his youngest boy into politics, Goh said Lee did not. He added that he did think of Lee Hsien Yang but did not approach him because he would have been outshone by his elder brother and partly because he did not want to be seen as just a figurehead if three Lee men are in Parliament:
  • “He never mentioned Hsien Yang. I thought of Hsien Yang, but I did not recommend him because I think he would be outshone by his brother.
  • “Having two brothers in Parliament was okay – Bernard Chen and Kenneth Chen, at one time. 
  • “But in Cabinet, how could I succeed as a PM if the father was there, the elder son and the second son too? Nobody would believe am my own man isn’t it? With three – what chance would you have?
  • I mean, that was how people would think, not knowing we are individuals.”
Goh continued that Lee Hsien Yang “would be different from the brother,” had he entered politics since he is not a yes man.


ESM Goh: Hsien Yang has private sector’s experience while Hsien Loong has none

In the book, ESM Goh related how he did think of inviting PM Lee's brother, Lee Hsien Yang, to join politics. "But I did not recommend him because I think he (Hsien Yang) would be outshone by his brother (Hsien Loong)," Goh said.

Goh didn't think it was a good idea to have too many members from the same family in the Cabinet:
  • "Having two brothers in Parliament was okay - Bernard Chen and Kenneth Chen, at one time. But in Cabinet, how could I succeed as a PM if the father was there, the elder son and the second son too?" he recalled.
  • "Nobody would believe I am my own man, isn't it? With three - what chance would you have? I mean, that was how people would think, not knowing we are different individuals."
  • Still, ESM Goh thought that Hsien Yang's experience in the private sector is one up when compared to PM Lee, who does not have any.
  • "Hsien Yang, had he come in, he would be different from the brother," he opined.
  • "These are not yes-men. You see the situation now, he is fighting the brother."
  • Goh continued, "He (Hsien Yang) would be a different individual with different qualities."
  • "His value would be - had I been interested, and that was later on - experience in private sector. Hsien Loong did not have it," he added.


Lee Kuan Yew suggested Wei Ling as PAP candidate: Goh Chok Tong

 While it is often perceived (rightly or wrongly) that the late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew brought his son Hsien Loong into politics, Goh Chok Tong says that the elder Lee actually recommended his daughter Wei Ling as a political candidate.

 In the first volume of his newly-released memoirs entitled Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story, the Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) revealed that some time in the 1980s, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) was looking for female candidates as there was a shortage of them. In this regard, Singapore’s first prime minister recommended his daughter as a potential candidate. “He said Wei Ling would make a very good MP,” recalled Goh in the book.

 This was down to her “very strong compassion for the down and out” and her “very strong sense of justice”, said the 77-year-old, quoting the late Lee. Ultimately, after sounding out George Yeo – who went on to become Foreign Minister – and then political neophyte Hsien Loong, Goh decided against it. “(Hsien Loong) did not think she was suitable and he was absolutely right,” said Goh, who was Prime Minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004.


 Excerpts from Goh Chok Tong’s biography: On "Lee Wei Ling"

Q: (Lee Kuan Yew) did not suggest Lee Hsien Loong & yet he suggested Lee Wei Ling?

A: Wei Ling as an MP. MP is okay. And it was because of her social conscience, which was very strong. At that time, we did not have so many women candidates. We were looking for women candidates and it was difficult to find them. So, he was helping me. It was not because he wanted her, but he was helping me look for candidates. It was in that context - here was a good candidate.


Police investigating man who offers ride to PM Lee’s son, takes video without consent

A police report has been lodged regarding videos taken of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s son, Mr Li Yipeng, who was offered a ride in a private car driven by a 31-year-old Singaporean man.

In the videos, the man, who had offered and given Mr Li a ride, was heard asking the 36-year-old repeatedly to confirm his identity, his residential address and the security arrangements for him.

The videos were taken without Mr Li’s knowledge or permission, the police said in a statement. The man has been identified and is assisting the police with their investigations.


Police report made after private car driver took videos of PM Lee Hsien Loong's son

A police report has been made regarding videos taken of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's son, Mr Li Yipeng, who was offered a ride in a private car, said the police in a statement on Sunday (March 17).

The car was driven by a 31-year-old Singaporean man, added the police.

It is believed the vehicle was not a private-hire car.

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 Driver who filmed PM Lee's son fined $900 and disqualified from driving for using phone on the road

 The driver who took videos of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's son while giving him a lift home was fined $900 and disqualified from driving for eight months for a traffic offence.

 Andrew Sim Kay Yong, 32, persuaded Mr Li Yipeng, 37, to get in his car. He then drove off and began recording videos of himself questioning Mr Li on various issues like his security arrangements and whether he had seen his uncle, Mr Lee Hsien Yang.

 Sim pleaded guilty to one charge under the Road Traffic Act on Thursday (Nov 14).

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 Man who filmed PM Lee’s eldest son during car ride gets S$900 fine and temporary driving ban
Andrew Sim Kay Yon, 32, who has had previous run-ins with the law said in mitigation that he was acting as a good Samaritan in offering the PM's son a lift. The judge expressed that this motive seemed doubtful

 A Singaporean who filmed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s son Li Yipeng as he gave him a ride in his car was sentenced to a S$900 fine today (14 Nov) for using a mobile phone while driving. The 32-year-old was also banned from driving for a period of eight months for the offence.

 The court heard that Andrew Sim Kay Yon spotted 36-year-old Li at a taxi stand on 15 March this year and recognised him as PM Lee’s son. Sim pulled up near Li and offered him a ride in his private car. Li accepted and gave his address to Sim. During the car ride, Sim filmed Li on four occasions between 3.54pm and 4.04pm during the drive from Esplanade to Rochalie Drive, without Li’s knowledge or permission. Sim held his phone in one hand while steering the car with the other hand to film Li.

 In the videos, that were subsequently circulated on social media, Sim can be heard repeatedly asking Li to confirm his identity, residential address and security arrangements. In a statement released on 17 March, the Singapore Police Force had said that the invasive questions raised “serious security concerns, given Mr Li’s background.”

A family portrait of PM Lee with his parents, siblings and children
Married on 20 May 1978 & Passed on 28 Oct 1982

Wong Ming Yang (1982)
Born in 1951, Married 20 May 1978 & Passed on 28 Oct 1982

Wong Ming Yang (1951 - 28 October 1982) was the first wife of Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong and the mother of Li Xiuqi and Li Yipeng. She was a doctor at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, the United Kingdom at the time of her marriage to Lee Hsien Loong. Wong Ming Yang was born in 1951 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to parents who worked as an insurance manager and a teacher. She had a brother, Wong Kok Kien, who was also a doctor. Wong Ming Yang was a student of Bukit Bintang Girls’ School and Victoria Institution which were both located in Kuala Lumpur. She then studied at Girton College in Cambridge University and graduated with two Bachelor's degrees in Medicine and Chiropody (a branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of the feet). She also held a Master of Arts degree. Before starting her tenure as a physician at Addenbrookes Hospital, Wong did her training at Middlesex Hospital in London.

According to her mother, Wong Ming Yang first met Lee Hsien Loong in 1973 while they were both studying at Cambridge University.[3][4] After university, Wong Ming Yang continued working as a doctor in Cambridge while Lee Hsien Loong returned to Singapore in 1974 to serve as in the Singapore Armed Forces.[3] Lee Hsien Loong's paternal grandfather, Lee Chin Koon, told The Straits Times that:
"They (Wong Ming Yang and Lee Hsien Loong) were in university together and became very good friends. They continued to keep in touch after Hsien Loong came back to Singapore."
In May 1978, Wong, then 27, married a 26-year-old Lee Hsien Loong in a quiet ceremony at the Registry of Marriages in Singapore.[5][3] The wedding was only attended by the immediate family of both sides, including Lee Hsien Loong’s paternal grandparents.[3] In 1980, Wong gave birth to their first child, Li Xiuqi. Two years later, the couple had their second child, Li Yipeng who was born with albinism.

On 28 October 1982, just three weeks after giving birth to Li Yipeng, Wong Ming Yang passed away at the age of 31. She had reportedly suffered a heart attack the night before.[6] After being taken to the Coronary Care Unit at Singapore General Hospital, Wong passed away at 12.30 AM. The cause of her death was determined as a myocardial infarction. In a letter written by Lee Hsien Loong's mother, Kwa Geok Choo, that was reproduced by Lee Wei Ling and published in 2011, the former noted moments of her son's grief. She wrote:
"The first dinner must have been painful for him because it was less than a month before that he and Ming Yang were at a similar dinner, and at times, I saw his face drawn with pain and his eyes filled with tears. The second dinner, he was a little more composed. He must and will get over it. But it's so painful."


Death of Wong Ming Yang (1982)

Wong Ming Yang, the first wife of Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, passed away at 12.30 AM on 28 October 1982. She had been admitted into Singapore General Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit on the night of 27 October 1982 after suffering a heart attack. Although the cause of her death has been determined as a myocardial infarction, the circumstances surrounding her death have been widely speculated by Singaporeans.

At the time of her death, Wong Ming Yang had been married to Lee Hsien Loong for about four years. According to a news report from their wedding day in 1978, the elders of the family were approving of the union. Lee Hsien Loong’s paternal grandmother, Chua Jim Neoh, was quoted to have said the following about Wong Ming Yang:
“Hsien Loong found himself a good girl. I’m a bit old-fashioned. I like a sweet, simple girl and Ming Yang is just right. She is also very pretty and very intelligent - a match for my grandson. I am very happy.”

Wong Ming Yang gave birth to her daughter, Li Xiuqi in 1980 and her son, Li Yipeng in October 1982. The latter was born with albinism and would later develop Asperger’s Syndrome. Wong Ming Yang passed away about three weeks after the birth of her son. Netizens mainly theorise that Wong Ming Yang did not die of cardiac arrest as this would have been rare for a woman her age (31 years old). Instead, it has been speculated that she suffered from serious Postpartum Depression (PPD) after giving birth to her son, Li Yipeng. This condition eventually led to her death.

Lim Suet Fern's father Prominent economist Lim Chong Yah

Update 23 Apr 2021: Lawyer Kwa Kim Li to face disciplinary tribunal over LKY's will
Siblings Lee Wei Ling (top right) and Lee Hsien Yang (above right), executors of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's estate, filed the complaints against lawyer Kwa Kim Li (left).ST PHOTOS: ONG WEE JIN, SEAH KWANG PENG, LIM YAOHUI

Lawyer Kwa Kim Li will face disciplinary proceedings over complaints about her handling of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's wills, in the latest development in the Lee family feud.

The High Court yesterday ruled that a disciplinary tribunal (DT) should be appointed to formally investigate an additional two complaints filed by Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, overruling the decision by the Law Society to proceed with only one of four complaints. This means the tribunal will look into whether Ms Kwa had:
  • failed to follow the instructions of their father, Mr Lee, to destroy his superseded wills.
  • breached her duties of confidentiality in sending records of her communications with Mr Lee to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
  • given false and misleading information to the executors of the estate.
A fourth complaint, that Ms Kwa had failed to keep proper contemporaneous notes of all the advice given and instructions received from Mr Lee, was dismissed.


Court orders probe into alleged misconduct by Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer after Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang's complaints
A High Court judge on Wednesday (Apr 21) granted bids by Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang for a disciplinary tribunal to investigate the alleged misconduct of the former lawyer of their late father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew

A High Court judge on Wednesday (Apr 21) granted bids by Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang for a disciplinary tribunal to investigate the alleged misconduct of the former lawyer of their late father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Justice Valerie Thean ordered the Law Society to apply to the Chief Justice to appoint a disciplinary tribunal to look into two of the Lee siblings' complaints about the conduct of Ms Kwa Kim Li over the handling of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wills.

The two complaints, outlined in a letter by the two Lee siblings to the Law Society in September 2019, were that Ms Kwa had failed to follow Mr Lee Kuan Yew's instructions to destroy his superseded wills, and that she had given false and misleading information to them in two emails she sent in June 2015.


PM Lee’s siblings seek disciplinary hearing on conduct of Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer
Ms Kwa Kim Li (pictured), a managing partner at law firm Lee and Lee, prepared the wills for the late Lee Kuan Yew

The siblings of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are seeking the convening of a disciplinary tribunal to investigate the conduct of their cousin, Ms Kwa Kim Li, who prepared six wills for their late father Lee Kuan Yew. Ms Kwa, a managing partner at law firm Lee and Lee, prepared the wills for Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister, between Aug 20, 2011 and Nov 2, 2012.

Court documents obtained by TODAY showed that Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, who are executors and trustees of Lee Kuan Yew’s estate, filed the High Court application against the Law Society (LawSoc) on Sept 21 last year. The Lee siblings’ application states that an inquiry committee investigated Ms Kwa following three complaints made in 2019.

The application seeks an order from the High Court directing the LawSoc to apply to Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon “for the appointment of a disciplinary tribunal for a formal investigation into the conduct of Ms Kwa Kim Li” over three of the 2019 complaints.


Lee saga: Wei Ling, Hsien Yang request Disciplinary Tribunal against Kwa Kim Li over Lee Kuan Yew will
Wei Ling and Hsien Yang’s are the younger siblings of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Kwa is a maternal cousin of the Lees

Dr Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang, trustees and executors of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s estate, have applied for an order against the Law Society to convene a Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to their father’s former lawyer Kwa Kim Li. According to court documents obtained by Yahoo News Singapore, the two Lee siblings filed the application on 21 September last year and a pre-trial conference was scheduled for 6 October. Another in-chambers hearing took place on Monday (1 February) over the case.

The duo applied for the order under section 96(1) of the Legal Profession Act, and had sought for the Law Society to be directed to apply to the Chief Justice for the appointment of a Disciplinary Tribunal for a formal investigation into Kwa’s conduct. This involves three complaints relating to Kwa that were made by the siblings, and which were investigated by an Inquiry Committee in 2019.

Kwa is managing partner of Lee and Lee, which was founded in 1955 by the late Lee. Between 20 August 2011 and 2 November 2012, she had prepared six of the late Lee’s wills. Dr Lee had previously accused Kwa of “lying” about the latter’s supposed non-involvement in the events that led to her father’s 2013 will.


Lee Wei Ling accuses lawyer Kwa Kim Li of lying about non-involvement in father's 2013 will
An image shared by Lee Wei Ling of a supposed e-mail sent by Lee & Lee lawyer Kwa Kim Li to the late Lee Kuan Yew on 12 December 2013. (PHOTO: Facebook / Lee Wei Ling)

Lee Wei Ling, the daughter of late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has accused lawyer Kwa Kim Li of “lying” about the latter’s supposed non-involvement in the events that led to her father’s 2013 will.

“Kwa Kim Li (KKL) of Lee & Lee has denied involvement in the events that led to this 2013 will … KKL has been lying. She has also breached her duties to her client, my father,” said the 64-year-old in a Facebook post on Tuesday (30 April).

“Lee & Lee have always been lawyers for my father’s personal matters including all his wills, powers of attorney, and Advance Medical Directives including his affirmation in August 2014 of his AMD,” she added. As evidence of Kwa’s alleged involvement, she also attached a photo of an e-mail supposedly sent by Kwa to the late Lee on 12 December 2013. In it, Kwa appears to tell Lee – whom she addresses as “Uncle Harry” – that she will be preparing a codicil to reflect their discussed amendments to his will and would need his signature on it.


Lee Wei Ling posts email proving LKY’s will was made by Kwa Kim Li
Dr Lee Wei Ling is accusing lawyer Kwa Kim Li of lying and said that the lawyer has “breached her duties to her client, my father.”

In the latest development of the Lee Family Saga, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, posted on her Facebook account on Tuesday morning, April 30, that their father former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer had lied about the making of his will, which has not only been an issue of contention within the family, but has also become a legal issue before the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). She also posted email as proof.

In her post, Dr Lee calls PM Lee her “dishonourable brother” who “has repeatedly alleged that my sister-in-law, Yang’s wife, prepared and somehow got our father to sign a will in December 2013.” She also accuses lawyer Kwa Kim Li of lying and having “breached her duties to her client, my father.”

Ms Kwa has denied having been involved in the events that led to the preparation of Lee Kuan Yew’s will in 2013.

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Dr Lee Wei Ling 29 April

My dishonourable brother Loong has repeatedly alleged that my sister-in-law, Yang’s wife, prepared and somehow got our father to sign a will in December 2013. Kwa Kim Li (KKL) of Lee & Lee has denied involvement in the events that led to this 2013 will. These are all falsehoods. KKL has been lying. She has also breached her duties to her client, my father.

Lee & Lee have always been lawyers for my father’s personal matters including all his wills, powers of attorney, and Advance Medical Directives including his affirmation in August 2014 of his AMD.

The truth is that my father had discussed the changes he wanted extensively with KKL before he signed his December 2013 will. From late November 2013 all the way till Friday 13 December 2013, my father had had discussions and exchanged emails with KKL of Lee & Lee on what he wanted in his will. These included discussions of his immediately prior will. The will my father signed on Tuesday 17 December 2013 reflected these prior discussions with his lawyer KKL. It was exactly what he wanted. It provided for equal shares for all the children, something he had agreed with our mother and all of us.

Here is one email proving my father discussed his December 2013 will with Kwa Kim Li. There are more.

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Lee Hsien Yang shared a post May 15

Dr Lee Wei Ling May 15

Papa was led by Loong to believe that Oxley Road had been “gazetted” by the government. This was the background to Loong’s insistence that Papa should change his will to give Oxley Road to Loong alone. Indeed, Pa wrote to his lawyer Kwa Kim Li of Lee & Lee, on 6 Sep 2012 saying "Although it has been gazetted as a Heritage house it is still mine as owner.” Pa also said "But the house is still mine and I can in my will give Ling the right to stay on in the house."

Loong eventually persuaded Papa that since Oxley had been “gazetted”, it was futile to keep Papa’s direction to demolish Oxley in his will. In late 2013, Pa began to doubt the truth that Oxley had been “gazetted”. On the evening of 29 Nov 2013, Pa discussed with his lawyer Kim Li the possibility of a "degazetting" of 38 Oxley Road after he died. Papa was concerned that the government would reverse course after his death so as to benefit Loong. He also made Kim Li recap what was in his Will in force at the time (dated 2 Nov 2012). Contrary to what Loong has alleged, Pa knew full well the contents of his prior will when he signed his Dec 2013 will.

Papa’s discussions with Kim Li were with a view to making changes to his 2012 will. Several emails between Pa and Kim Li record parts of these discussions and Pa’s instructions. Papa had come to a view that the government would reverse course on the “gazetting” of 38 Oxley Road after his death benefitting Loong as a result. This was what I believe led Pa to decide to revert to reinstate the provision to demolish the house, which had always been his unwavering wish, and also to grant me the right to live in the house as long as I wished.

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Follow the rainbow: LKY’s grandson weds in South Africa

In a speech in 1996, then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) urged young Singaporeans to go out into the world and seize opportunities. He said, “There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with a spirit of adventure”.
“To the young and not-too-old I say, look at the horizon, find the rainbow, go ride it”.
More than two decades later, Mr Lee’s own grandson Li Huanwu is has actually ‘followed that rainbow’ as he tied the knot with his boyfriend Yirui Heng in Cape Town, South Africa this weekend where same-sex marriage was legalised in 2006.

In fact, Mr Li posted on his Facebook page a photo of a rainbow he spotted on the horizon just after his wedding with the hashtag #followthatrainbow – perhaps it was the providential rainbow that LKY mentioned all those years ago.

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PM Lee demands The Online Citizen take down allegedly defamatory article or face legal action

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s spokesperson has issued a letter to sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC), demanding that it remove an article containing “false” and “libellous” allegations and publish an apology.

In the letter sent to TOC chief editor Terry Xu at 6pm on Sunday (Sept 1) — a copy of which was made available to the media — Ms Chang Li Lin, the prime minister’s press secretary, took issue with an article titled, “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”, which she called a “scurrilous” attack on PM Lee’s character and integrity. A link to the article, dated Aug 15, was also posted on TOC’s Facebook page.

The article and Facebook post repeated several false allegations that were levelled against PM Lee by his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, said Ms Chang.

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“Ho Ching is watching all of us” – Temasek CEO skirts question on the company’s plans for leadership succession
Instead of giving a direct answer as to what Temasek's leadership succession plans are, when he was asked to give details on these plans and on Mdm Ho's role at the company, Mr Pillay would only say that Mdm Ho is "very much now involved in the stewardship aspects of Temasek…she still keeps a watchful eye over all of us to make sure we continue to do the right thing"

 Temasek International CEO Dilhan Pillay appeared to skirt questions on Ho Ching’s role at Temasek and the organisation’s plans for leadership succession, at a recent press briefing.

 Temasek International is the investment arm of Singapore sovereign wealth fund, Temasek, which is led by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching. Instead of giving a direct answer as to what Temasek’s leadership succession plans are, when he was asked to give details on these plans and on Mdm Ho’s role at the company, Mr Pillay would only say that Mdm Ho is “very much now involved in the stewardship aspects of Temasek…she still keeps a watchful eye over all of us to make sure we continue to do the right thing.”

 The South China Morning Post noted that Mr Pillay also quipped, “Right now, she’s watching all of us,” and that this remark was met with laughter.

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Lee Hsien Yang last Wednesday

Temasek announced its results yesterday. No surprise that it still didn’t disclose Ho Ching’s salary. Why is it such a big secret?

http://theindependent.sg/the-secret-that-is-ho-chings-sala…/

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The secret that is Ho Ching’s salary – will we ever know?

The annual remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Temasek Holdings seems to be the most well-kept secret, with Singaporeans asking, questioning and even speculating what that elusive number could be.

With Ho Ching heading the fund for the past 16 years, since 2002, many push for some transparency.

One Singaporean, Philip Ang, did some calculations and comparisons on his blog. In a post, he wrote, “Although Temasek Holdings manages our state reserves and should be transparent, the PAP government has legislated senior management executives’ remuneration state secret”.

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Lee Hsien Yang questions: Why is Ho Ching’s salary such a big secret?

After the announcement yesterday (July 9) that Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s state investment firm, reported a record net portfolio value for the last financial year, many, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother, have been asking about why its chief executive officer (CEO), Ho Ching’s salary remains shrouded in secrecy.

PM Lee’s brother, Lee Hsien Yang, took to Facebook earlier today to point out an obvious, but hidden, piece of the puzzle. He wrote, “Temasek announced its results yesterday. No surprise that it still didn’t disclose Ho Ching’s salary”.

The younger Mr Lee also questioned, “Why is it such a big secret?”. Along with his post, Mr Lee Hsien Yang also shared the following article: The secret that is Ho Ching’s salary – will we ever know?

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Lee Hsien Yang: Why is Ho Ching’s salaries a big secret?

The estranged brother of the Prime Minister has hit out at his sister-in-law calling for the government to declare Ho Ching’s salaries:

“Temasek announced its results yesterday. No surprise that it still didn’t disclose Ho Ching’s salary. Why is it such a big secret?”

Through nepotism, the Prime Minister’s wife was made the CEO of Temasek Holdings in 2003, despite having no experience in fund management and being an engineer by training.

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Singapore PM Stirs Flap in Cambodia by Bringing up Vietnam’s 1979 Invasion

Cambodian officials are bristling this week after a recent remark by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recalling Vietnam’s January 1979 invasion and decade-long occupation of Cambodia.

Lee used his official Facebook page on May 31 to send Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha condolences on the death of former Thai Prime Minister General Prem Tinsulanonda, who led Thailand during the period of Vietnam’s control of Cambodia and joined a coalition of nations who fought to end Hanoi’s occupation.

“His time as PM coincided with the Asean members (then five of us) coming together to oppose Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia and the Cambodian government that replaced the Khmer Rouge,” Lee wrote. The five original members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

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DBS branch in Hong Kong vandalised with vulgar messages directed at PM Lee Hsien Loong
One of the widely shared images showing the graffiti that was scrawled on the DBS branch in Hong Kong. (PHOTO: Social media)

Vandals have attacked a DBS branch in Hong Kong by scrawling vulgarities directed at Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his family and the ruling People's Action Party.

Photos of the vandalised DBS branch were posted late Thursday morning (Nov 14) on a Facebook group called the Concerned Citizens Band Together for a better Singapore. The post was shared more than 850 times in four hours. A DBS spokesman told The Straits Times that the graffiti was cleaned off as soon as it was discovered on Thursday morning.

Some Hong Kongers have been upset by comments PM Lee made on the Hong Kong protests at the Forbes Global CEO Conference at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore in October.

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Lee Weiling: “I continue to be ashamed at Hsien Loong’s disrespect for his father’s dying wish”
Dr Lee referred to the report by the Disciplinary Tribunal report on Mrs Lee as “a travesty”

Expressing her disgust over a report by the Sunday Times, Dr Lee Weiling posted on her Facebook page, saying: “I am appalled and disgusted by the The Sunday Times reports that seek to character assassinate my brother and his wife.”

The Strait Times’ Sunday newspaper report, “Disciplinary Tribunal finds Lee Suet Fern guilty of misconduct in handling founding PM Lee Kuan Yew’s last will“, wrote that Mrs Lee Suet Fern was found guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in her handling of the last will of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew by a Disciplinary Tribunal that was appointed by the Chief Justice, Sundaresh Menon.

The report highlighted how Mrs Lee is being described by the two-judge tribunal, as a “deceitful witness, who tailored her evidence to portray herself as an innocent victim who had been maligned” and how Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s conduct was “equally deceitful”.

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Dr Lee Wei Ling 8 hours ago

The Disciplinary Tribunal’s report on the case referred by AG against Hsien Yang’s wife, in my view, is a travesty. I am appalled and disgusted by the The Sunday Times reports that seek to character assassinate my brother and his wife.

This all is yet another attempt to rewrite history following on from the secret ministerial committee looking into Lee Kuan Yew’s Will and wishes for 38 Oxley Road. My father knew full well what he was doing. He was clear in his decision for the Will. Lee Kuan Yew on his own drafted an amendment to the Will (a codicil) and executed it 2 weeks later.

I continue to be ashamed at Hsien Loong’s disrespect for his father’s dying wish.

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Lawyer Lee Suet Fern suspended for 15 months, found guilty of misconduct in handling of Lee Kuan Yew's will
A disciplinary tribunal had found Mrs Lee Suet Fern guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in February this year.PHOTO: MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP/YOUTUBE

Senior lawyer Lee Suet Fern has been suspended for 15 months by the Court of Three Judges over her handling of the last will of her late father-in-law Lee Kuan Yew.

In a written judgment released on Friday (Nov 20), the highest disciplinary body for the legal profession found Mrs Lee guilty of misconduct unbefitting an advocate and solicitor, saying that she had “blindly followed the directions of her husband, a significant beneficiary under the very will whose execution she helped to rush through”.

The case centred on the role Mrs Lee played in the preparation and execution of the senior Mr Lee’s last will, which was signed on Dec 17, 2013.



Lawyer Lee Suet Fern suspended for 15 months for misconduct over handling of Lee Kuan Yew's last will
Screengrab of Lee Suet Fern in an interview for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. (Video: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)

Lawyer Lee Suet Fern has been suspended from practice for 15 months after she was found guilty of misconduct over the handling of the last will of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon wrote in the judgment on Friday (Nov 20) that Mrs Lee was guilty of misconduct "unbefitting an advocate and solicitor" despite the absence of an implied retainer.

He also said her culpability was "at least moderately high", while the harm caused by the misconduct was "at the lower end of the moderate range".



What I know about Singapore’s Lee Suet Fern
Lee Suet Fern (far left) and other family members of the late Lee Kuan Yew arrive with his portrait at the start of the state funeral at the University Cultural Centre in Singapore on March 29, 2015. Photo: AP

I have been very disturbed to read in the Post of the Singapore Law Society’s failed attempt to disbar Lee Suet Fern. She is the daughter-in-law of the late Lee Kuan Yew, the former Singapore prime minister who died in 2015, and married to his younger son. He and another sibling have fallen out very publicly with their brother, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, over the last will of Lee Kuan Yew made in 2013, probate for which was granted in 2015.

Lee Suet Fern is alleged to have assisted with arrangements for the execution and witnessing of Lee Kuan Yew’s last will, having “blindly followed the directions of her husband”, and not to have advised the elder Lee to take independent legal advice.

Lee Kuan Yew was himself a lawyer, and the idea that he would have signed anything against his wishes is fantasy. A Court of Three Judges concluded last week that Lee Suet Fern should not be struck off but should be suspended from practice for 15 months for misconduct.


Lee Kuan Yew not some ‘ignorant feeble-minded dotard being fooled by a sharp lawyer’: Lee Suet Fern's defence submissions
The Attorney-General’s Chambers had referred a case of possible professional misconduct involving Mrs Lee Suet Fern to the Law Society, with Deputy Attorney-General Lionel Yee asking for it to be referred to a disciplinary tribunal

 Lawyer Lee Suet Fern on Sunday (Feb 23) objected to the findings of a disciplinary tribunal that found her guilty of grossly improper professional conduct when handling the last will of her father-in-law, Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

 “I disagree with the Disciplinary Tribunal’s report and will fight this strongly when it is heard in open court," said Mrs Lee, 61, in a statement issued through her husband, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the late Mr Lee’s youngest son. Proceedings so far were dealt with behind closed doors, and the matter will now be referred to a Court of Three Judges – the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers’ misconduct – at the Supreme Court.

 In her statement, Mrs Lee noted that any member of the public can obtain the entire record of the tribunal's closed-door proceedings from the Law Society (LawSoc) and she urged the public to "look at these and come to their own independent conclusions”.

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 Lee Kuan Yew knew what he wanted in will, Lee Suet Fern not acting as his lawyer: Defence in legal misconduct case

 Lee Suet Fern was not acting as a lawyer in the preparation of Lee Kuan Yew’s final will, and Mr Lee knew what he wanted, which was to revert to a previous will distributing equal shares of his estate to his children.

 This was key to the arguments put forward by Mrs Lee’s lawyers in her defence at a disciplinary tribunal. Her legal team included former Attorney-General and Senior Counsel Walter Woon, Senior Counsel Kenneth Tan and a team from Providence Law led by Abraham Vergis.

 Mrs Lee, who has been a lawyer for 37 years, was found guilty by the disciplinary tribunal of grossly improper misconduct in her handling of the late Mr Lee’s last will, in findings released last week. The tribunal ruled that she had failed to advance the interests of Mr Lee, who was her client in the preparation and execution of his final will dated December 2013, and that she failed to advise him to be independently advised.

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 Lawyer Lee Suet Fern disagrees with tribunal's report, will 'fight this strongly' in open court
Lawyer Lee Suet Fern added that any member of the public can obtain the entire record of the closed-door proceedings of the tribunal from the Law Society.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

 Lawyer Lee Suet Fern has responded to a tribunal that found her guilty of misconduct in the handling of late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's will, saying that she disagrees with its report and intends to "fight this strongly when it is heard in open court".

 She added that any member of the public can obtain the entire record of the closed-door proceedings of the tribunal from the Law Society.

 "I urge the public to look at these and come to their own independent conclusions," she added.

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 Disciplinary Tribunal finds Lee Suet Fern guilty of misconduct in handling founding PM Lee Kuan Yew's last will

A Disciplinary Tribunal has found prominent lawyer Lee Suet Fern guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in her handling of the last will of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding prime minister.

Her actions were of sufficient gravity that the matter will be referred to the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body to deal with lawyers' misconduct.

If found guilty, Mrs Lee, 61, the wife of Mr Lee's younger son Hsien Yang, could face a fine, suspension or could be disbarred as a lawyer.

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“Could you please leave me out of this?” – Hongyi tells Shengwu

In response to Shengwu’s most recent revelation that he has decided to remove Hongyi from his Facebook friends list, the Prime Minister’s son wrote on Facebook: “I don’t know whats going on between you and the government, but I’ve got nothing to do with it. Could you please leave me out of this?”

Claiming that he has “really tried to not be involved as far as possible,” Hongyi said: “If there’s something I’ve done that’s led you to believe otherwise, I would be happy to talk with you about it. It’s a bit disconcerting to be repeatedly publicly accused of undermining democracy without understanding why.”

He added: “I would prefer not to have done this over public facebook posts. But I suppose thats (sic) how we communicate nowadays.”

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Rift between Lee cousins widens: Shengwu removes Hongyi from his Facebook friends list
The relationship between Singapore founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s grandsons Li Shengwu and Li Hongyi appears to be as fractured as ever

Shengwu revealed on Facebook this evening (22 Jan) that he has removed Hongyi from his Facebook friends list.

Hongyi, 32, is the son of Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, while Shengwu, 34, is the eldest son of Lee Hsien Yang — Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son.

Shengwu and Hongyi were once described as “very close”. The cousins, who drew attention when they delivered eulogies at their grandfather’s funeral in 2015, were both in the west coast of the United States at one point as Shengwu was pursuing his PhD at Stanford University and Hongyi was working at Google in Silicon Valley.

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 The younger Lee siblings rehash family feud three years later
In a new post on June 14, Dr Lee made reference to a document published three years ago on June 14, 2017, undersigned by both herself and younger brother Lee Hsien Yang

The two younger Lee siblings Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang took to social media to rehash a family feud spanning more than five years.

She made reference to a document published three years ago on June 14, 2017, undersigned by both herself and younger brother Lee Hsien Yang.

“A public statement by Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang: We have no confidence in PM Lee Hsien Loong and are worried about Singapore’s future”, they titled the document.

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 Explainer: Why are Singapore's first family feuding?
FILE PHOTO: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is seen during a live-broadcast national address, in Singapore, June 23, 2020. Ministry Of Communications And Information/Prime Minister's Office

A public rift between the heirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s modern day founder, has shot to the fore with the prospect of his two sons squaring off at a July 10 general election.

Lee Hsien Yang on Wednesday formally joined a new opposition party competing against his brother Lee Hsien Loong’s People’s Action Party, which has ruled the city-state since its independence since 1965.

The move comes amid a long-standing and bitter dispute between the siblings centred around what to do with their late father’s house - demolish it, or let the government decide whether to make it a heritage landmark.

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 PAP does not have 'a tradition of backstabbing our mentors', says Vivian Balakrishnan
Mr Vivian Balakrishnan speaking at the PAP rally at a field along Commonwealth Avenue on Sept 7, 2015.ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan opened his rally speech on Monday (Sept 7) night with: "I will be making the most boring but the most important speech of my life."

But it was anything but "boring".

The former school debater, who is leading the People's Action Party's (PAP) Holland-Bukit Timah team, took on his opponents from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) with thinly-veiled criticism and scathing remarks.

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 Fadilan AK 16 hrs

 Just watch, listen & decide.

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 PSP’s Lee Hsien Yang not standing for elections

After nominations were filed on Tuesday, Mr Lee posted a note on Facebook, saying that he chose not to stand for political office because he believes “Singapore does not need another Lee”.

As someone who grew up in a family at the centre of Singapore politics, he added, it would have been “the most natural thing” for him to have entered political office.

“But political leadership in Singapore needs to be much more than about one family or one man. The empirical evidence shows that dynastic politics causes bad government,” he wrote.

“When people enter politics on the back of the family name, they are often evaluated based on their parents and not their performance. This unfair advantage undermines meritocracy. How can we expect politicians to hold each other to account, if they are blood relations?”

He then urged voters to “vote fearlessly”, and added that he is interested in politics and hopes to be a catalyst for change by contributing in other ways:  “I am involved through speaking up, by supporting candidates and parties I believe in, by contributing my time, ideas and resources to causes I support, and by seeking an open and independent media. I do not seek power, prestige or financial rewards of political office.”

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Lee Hsien Yang 1hr
POLITICS IS FOR EVERY CITIZEN

You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.

I grew up in a family at the centre of Singapore politics. From the time I was born in 1957, politics was a part of my family, as my father fought first for independence for our country and then led the challenging and arduous journey Singapore took to nationhood.

It would have been the most natural thing for me to have entered political office. But political leadership in Singapore needs to be much more than about one family or one man. The empirical evidence shows that dynastic politics causes bad government. When people enter politics on the back of the family name, they are often evaluated based on their parents and not their performance. This unfair advantage undermines meritocracy. How can we expect politicians to hold each other to account, if they are blood relations?

I chose instead to enter the world of business, to be accountable to shareholders, employees and customers, and the community. I also sought to contribute to Singapore through volunteering in other institutions beyond my corporate roles. I wanted to forge my own path, to be my own man and a man of my word.

I have chosen not to stand for political office because I believe Singapore does not need another Lee. I am interested in politics. I am involved through speaking up, by supporting candidates and parties I believe in, by contributing my time, ideas and resources to causes I support, and by seeking an open and independent media. I do not seek power, prestige or financial rewards of political office. I hope to be a catalyst for change.

Being involved in politics can take many different forms. Amongst others it needs citizens to be aware of and contribute to the public discourse in the country, to support political parties one believes in, and to help them reach out to other voters. It is support for an independent media and for open and transparent government. It is being engaged, speaking truth to power, volunteering one’s time and contributing financially or otherwise for causes that one believes in. Politics is both the right and the duty of every citizen.

Our country needs a broad and diverse parliament with members who care for its citizens and the future of our nation and hold themselves accountable to the citizens. It needs people from different walks of life who can imagine, inspire and execute. We need new ideas to reinvigorate Singapore. We must have genuine discussions and rigorous debate involving a diversity of Singaporean voices as we seek to navigate the challenging waters ahead. We need leaders who listen and who are receptive to those voices and needs.

In the last few years, I have been approached by countless Singaporeans who have asked me to stand for political office. These are Singaporeans from all walks of life. I am deeply humbled. Many Singaporeans are very troubled that Singapore no longer has the leadership it needs. Sadly, the current government has failed its people. The rising anger and frustrations of the populace speaks for itself. The PAP has lost its way.

We need to take action now. Speak up and be heard. Discuss openly the issues facing our country. Read and share independent journalism. Seek transparency and accountability in government. Talk to your friends and family to help them see the need for change. Volunteer your time and resources to support the parties you believe in.

Vote fearlessly. Rescue the future of the country we love.

Politics is not just for politicians. It is for every citizen.

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 Judgment on bid to disbar Lee Suet Fern reserved

 Earlier, in February this year, a disciplinary tribunal had found her guilty of "grossly improper conduct", and yesterday, the Law Society asked a Court of Three Judges to uphold the finding.

 Singapore's Law Society yesterday set out its arguments on why senior lawyer Lee Suet Fern should be disbarred over her handling of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's will, saying she had been involved in its preparation and execution despite knowing her husband stood to gain from it.

 It also said the lawyer of 37 years had hurried her father-in-law through the process of signing it without the advice of his usual lawyer, who had prepared his earlier wills.

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 Court reserves judgement on whether Lee Suet Fern should be sanctioned for role in Lee Kuan Yew's final will

 Judges presiding over Mrs Lee Suet Fern's disciplinary hearing on Thursday (Aug 13) focused their attention on a particular rule — that a lawyer shall not act for a client who intends to make a significant gift by will to any member of her family — in questioning her defence that it would have been hard for her to say no to Lee Kuan Yew.

 The Court of Three Judges — the highest disciplinary body in dealing with lawyers’ misconduct — was deliberating whether Mrs Lee, 62, who is the wife of Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the late Lee Kuan Yew's younger son, should be struck off the rolls.

 The Law Society is arguing that she should, based on the 206-page findings of a disciplinary tribunal in February. It found that Mrs Lee, a senior lawyer of 37 years, had “misled” a frail and ailing Lee Kuan Yew into signing his last will.

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 Li Shengwu does not admit guilt but will pay $15,000 fine for contempt of court

 Mr Li Shengwu has said he will pay a $15,000 fine for contempt of court but he does not admit guilt and disagrees that he said anything illegal in a private Facebook post.

 In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the fine is due, Mr Li wrote that he has decided to pay the fine "in order to buy some peace and quiet".

 "Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore Government an easy excuse to attack me and my family," he added.

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 Li Shengwu on contempt of court case: “I do not admit guilt”

 Li Shengwu announced his decision to pay the S$15,000 fine for being found to be in contempt of court, but added that he does not admit guilt.

 In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 11), a day before the deadline to make payment, Mr Li wrote: I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore”.

 “I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family”, Mr Li wrote.

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 Shengwu Li 10 August at 19:19

 I have an announcement to make about my legal case in Singapore.

 The government claims that my friends-only Facebook post "scandalized the judiciary". The true scandal is the misuse of state resources to repress private speech. In the course of this three-year prosecution, the Singapore Attorney General's chambers has written thousands of pages of legal documents, suppressed parts of my defence affidavit, and demanded that I reveal to them all of my friends on Facebook.

 Back in January, I decided that I would not dignify the government’s prosecution by continuing to respond. Even without my participation, it took six more months to arrive at a verdict, long enough for the government to mishandle a pandemic and hold an election.

 I have decided to pay the fine, in order to buy some peace and quiet. Paying the fine avoids giving the Singapore government an easy excuse to attack me and my family.

 I do not admit guilt. I have never denied writing what I wrote, to my friends in a private Facebook post. I disagree that my words were illegal. Moreover, civilized countries should not fine or jail their citizens for private comments on the court system.

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 Allegation of abuse of Power

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Mustsharenews.com 26 June

In lieu of Pink Dot today, we listen to what the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew had to say about being gay and his changed perception of it.

Watch how he answered some rather personal questions.

Follow us on Telegram here: https://t.me/mustsharenews.

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Fortune Names Ho Ching 20th Most Powerful Woman Outside Of US – Only S’porean To Make The Cut
© Provided by Vulcan Post Fortune Names Ho Ching 20th Most Powerful Woman Outside Of US - Only S'porean To Make The Cut

Fortune has released the 2020 edition of its Most Powerful Women Outside the United States, where a total of 50 women were shortlisted.

The top three on the list are: Emma Walmsley from the United Kingdom, who is also the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, Jessica Tan, CEO of China’s Ping An Group, and Ana Botín, Executive Chairman of Spain’s Banco Santander.

According to Fortune, it “scans the globe” every year, to highlight the most powerful women in business based outside the United States. The list was created 20 years ago, and takes into consideration the size and health of a woman’s business, the arc of her career, as well as her societal and cultural influence.


#23 Ho Ching
Executive Director and CEO, Temasek

Ho Ching has been at Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek for 17 years and has helped its portfolio grow to over $313 billion.

Temasek was one of the main investors in a $14 billion dollar fundraising round by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba.

Ho opened offices in San Francisco in 2018 and poured over a quarter of Temasek's money into sectors like life sciences, tech and agribusiness.

Ho is also the wife of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.


Former London lord mayor: Lee Suet Fern’s unjust suspension “a stain” on S’pore’s international reputation

The unjust suspension of senior lawyer Lee Suet Fern from practice has left a “stain on the international reputation of Singapore”, said former London lord mayor Sir David Thomas Rowell Lewis.

In a letter titled “What I know about Singapore’s Lee Suet Fern”, published by South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Monday (30 November), Sir Lewis said that he has been “very disturbed” to read about the Singapore Law Society’s failed attempt to disbar Mrs Lee in relation to her involvement in handling the last will of the city-state’s founding prime minister and her father-in-law Lee Kuan Yew. Sir Lewis, who is also the former president of City of London Law Society, said that he had known Mrs Lee for four decades and described her as “a senior lawyer of undisputed ability, ethics and experience, and a partner in a major US global law firm”.

He also mentioned that Mr LKY had spoken to him of his trust in and admiration of Mrs Lee during a lunch he hosted for Mr LKY in 2008 in London. “Who will believe that he would have had any objection to his daughter-in-law helping to arrange for the witnessing of his will, which she did not draft, or that she acted in any way improperly?


Kwa Kim Li grilled by Lim Tean on 38 Oxley Road and Lee Kuan Yew’s will

Kwa Lim Li, the late Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer, appeared in court on Thursday (Dec 3) to answer questions on Mr Lee’s wills and house, 38 Oxley Road.

Mdm Kwa had to testify in court during a libel suit involving Terry Xu after failing to set aside a subpoena filed by the chief editor of The Online Citizen (TOC). Her attendance in court was her first public appearance since the start of the 38 Oxley Road saga.

On 14 June 2017, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s siblings, Dr Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang, made several allegations against their brother in a Facebook post, including accusing him of misleading their father into believing that his Oxley Road property had been gazetted.


'Hope against hope' for ties with siblings to be repaired: PM Lee

Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong has reiterated that while he has not brought his siblings to court for defamation, it doesn’t mean he would never do it and that others have free rein to defame him. Lee was responding to a question by lawyer Lim Tean when he took the stand in his defamation suit against The Online Citizen’s (TOC) chief editor Terry Xu Yuanchen, 38. The trial opened on Monday (30 November) with Xu denying any damage had been done to Lee’s reputation through TOC’s 2019 article on 38 Oxley Road.

Xu, represented by Lim, is seeking to argue before Justice Audrey Lim that TOC’s article was not defamatory, or justify that what was stated in the article was true. The article published on TOC’s website and Facebook page on 15 August last year is titled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”.

TOC’s article, which remains on the website, had further suggested that after it was revealed to the late Lee Kuan Yew in end 2013 that the Singapore government had not gazetted the 38 Oxley Road property, he removed PM Lee as an executor and trustee of his will.


PM Lee’s defamation suit against The Online Citizen's editor goes to trial
PM Lee is seeking damages including aggravated damages and an injunction against Mr Xu

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is suing the chief editor of socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC) for defamation over an article, is set to testify next week when the trial opens in the High Court. Justice Audrey Lim will preside over the civil trial, scheduled to take place from Monday (Nov 30) to Friday (Dec 4).

PM Lee, who launched the libel suit in September last year, is represented by a team of lawyers led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh. TOC’s editor Terry Xu will be defended by lawyer Lim Tean.

PM Lee’s siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, are also named as third parties in the suit.


Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong tells TOC defamation trial he hopes family feud can be repaired
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is seeking damages over the TOC article, which his lawyers said contained false allegations repeated from his siblings that gravely injure his character and reputation. Photo: AP

While his relationship with his siblings is “not in the best state” and “animosity is evident” on their end, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he and his wife Ho Ching do not want the family feud to continue.

“I hope against hope that one day, matters can be repaired. But it’s one of those things that happen in life and this too shall pass,” he said on Monday during the first day of his defamation trial. Lee is suing Terry Xu, the chief editor of sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC), for libel over an article published in August last year titled “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”. It referred to an article she posted on Facebook that was titled “Here is why sometimes it is okay to cut ties with toxic family members”.

Since 2017, Lee has been embroiled in a dispute with his siblings – Dr Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang – over the fate of their family home at 38 Oxley Road after the death of their father, Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.


PM Lee vs TOC editor libel trial: Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer Kwa Kim Li testifies as evidence concludes

Evidence in the High Court defamation trial brought by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong against the chief editor of sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC) concluded on Thursday (Dec 3), as the late Lee Kuan Yew’s lawyer took the stand. Madam Kwa Kim Li, who prepared the founding prime minister’s first six wills from 2011 to 2012, was subpoenaed in October to give evidence by TOC editor Terry Xu.

She applied to have the subpoena set aside but Justice Audrey Lim dismissed the application on Thursday morning. Clad in a dark green cheongsam, Mdm Kwa took the stand for just half an hour in the afternoon, with Mr Xu’s lawyer Lim Tean questioning her about email details and whether she had told Lee Kuan Yew that his family home had not been gazetted as a heritage building.

The only other witnesses, PM Lee and Mr Xu, testified over the last three days. The libel suit centres around an article published on TOC in August last year, titled: “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”.


PM Lee on rift with brother, sister: “I think the feud is on my siblings’ part”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who testified in his defamation suit against Mr Terry Xu, the editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), on Monday (Nov 30), expressed the hope that the rift between himself and his brother and sister can still be repaired. Mr Xu has denied that damage had been done to the Prime Minister’s reputation after an article about the Lee family and its property at 38 Oxley Road on the TOC website and Facebook page on Aug 15, 2019, entitled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching, weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”. PM Lee was cross-examined by counsel for the defendant, Mr Lim Tean.

At one point in the cross-examination, according to Yahoo Singapore, Mr Lim asked PM Lee when he last spoke to his siblings, Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, one of the Prime Minister’s lawyers, asked about the relevance of such a question. Mr Lim was told to move on to his next question. He then asked: Is it correct for me to say there is a sour relationship between your wife and siblings?” Mr Singh objected to this but the judge allowed it.

The Prime Minister answered: “I think animosity is evident on one side from my siblings. On our side, I do not think either I or my wife want this to continue or hold anything against them.” Adding that he had “detached” himself from the rift with his brother and sister, PM Lee said: “I think the feud is on my siblings’ part. I don’t understand what it’s about … I no longer own 38 Oxley, I have sold it to Lee Hsien Yang, and recused myself from the government’s handling of the matter. “So there’s nothing I can do or not do to influence the matter. I have never done any Facebook post or criticised them publicly other than what I put out in my ministerial statements. “And I hope against hope that one day, matters may be repaired. But it’s one of those things that happen in life, and this too shall pass.”


The Lee Kuan Yew And Kwa Geok Choo Love Story
Lee Kuan Yew & Kwa Geok Choo Were Partners For Life - Most refer to her as Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew, but Madam Kwa Geok Choo is more than just the woman behind Mr. Lee Kuan Yew – she was a woman who silently gave her all to the nation and her family.

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had been engaged in politics over the years, with numerous political opponents who alleged that he is ruthless. However, his love for his wife is a very touching story – a strong testament of their love and devotion.

It was no love at first sight - When studying at Raffles College in Singapore, Mr. Lee crossed paths with Mdm. Kwa, the only female student in the prestigious school. They started out as competitors – Mdm. Kwa’s Economic Science and English results topped the cohort, with Mr. Lee’s coming in second. From an exchange of blows, a friendship grew; no discord, no concord. From competitors, they gradually became lovers.


PM Lee entertained grandchild at Botanic Gardens picnic

On Saturday, April 6, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was in the audience as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) played on the symphony stage at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

A member of the audience captured some candid shots of the leader and a young child, believed to be his grandchild, as they bonded at the picnic. PM Lee had his phone camera trained on his wife as well. And on himself, as he was seen taking a selfie.

On Sunday evening, PM Lee shared the photos he took at the Botanic Gardens


Photos of PM Lee Hsien Loong enjoying an evening with family at Botanic Gardens go viral
Photos of PM Lee Hsien Loong, Mrs Lee and his grandchild enjoying a concert by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) at the Gardens have gone viral. PHOTOS: 媛來就在新加坡 / FACEBOOK

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spent his Saturday evening (April 6) at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, & his visit caught the attention of several eagle-eyed netizens.

Photos of PM Lee, Mrs Lee & his granddaughter enjoying a concert by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) at the Gardens have gone viral after they were posted on Facebook on Sunday night.

He was pictured in a polo T-shirt & pants on a colourful picnic mat, holding his mobile phone up to take photos of Mrs Lee & his grandchild.

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More candid photos & video of PM Lee, wife & grandchild at Botanic Gardens picnic compiled by public

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was in the audience at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, on Saturday, April 6, as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) played on the symphony stage.

Several photos circulated online showed him chilling on a picnic mat with his New Balance shoes off, together with his wife and a young child, who is believed to be his grandchild. As it is not everyday that the leader of Singapore is out and about mingling with the rest of society, the public at large quietly snapped away with their phones.

This resulted in an unprecedented myriad of candid photos of the prime minister seen doing various grandfatherly things, such as cooing at the young child, capturing the sights with his phone, and generally, letting his guard down.


PM Lee picnics with his grandchild at Singapore Botanic Gardens

On April 6th (Saturday), Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was seen at the Singapore Botanic Gardens by some netizens. Photos that had gone viral on Facebook showed that he was spending a day out with his wife and his grandson.

They were sitting on a picnic mat on the grass, enjoying a performance by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO). PM Lee Hsien Loong was wearing a polo t-shirt and could be seen taking pictures of his grandchild along with Mrs Lee.

PM Lee also shared on his Facebook page of his “relaxing evening” spent at the Singapore Botanical Gardens watching the SCO’s Spring at the Gardens concert. He shared photos of the other audience around, six sisters on a musical outing together, and of the orchestra performing. He also took pictures of bougainvilleas near the Eco Lake, which are in full bloom.


Prime Minister’s wife agrees that being a grandma is “one of the best blessings in the world”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching, shared a somewhat personal post on Facebook today, agreeing with the sentiment that being a grandmother is “one of the best blessings in the world”.

Her social media post comes less than a month after she and her husband won praise for being so simple, after they were spotted with their grandchild at the Botanic Gardens.

Photos captured by eyewitnesses, showing the head of Government and his wife playing with their grandchild on a picnic mat and behaving like typical grandparents, quickly went viral online.


Ho Ching urge Singaporeans not to be kiasu
Long Queues On 1st Day Of Mask Collection

At 11.50am, Temasek CEO Ho Ching put out a Facebook post asking Singaporeans not to be kiasu. 

She shared that there are plenty of masks left so there’s no need to flock down all at once. Additionally, Madam Ho added that the collection lasts for a month so there’s absolutely no need to rush.

Addressing criticism about collection methods, she also said it was not possible to deliver the masks directly to households as they are too bulky. She also urged the public to be kind to counter staff at the distribution centres.


Lee Kuan Yew medallion range to mark his 5th death anniversary “temporarily suspended” by Singapore Mint

Just hours after launching a series of medallions and busts dedicated to the founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, The Singapore Mint has decided to “temporarily suspend” the range. At around 12.45pm on Monday (2 March), The Singapore Mint revealed in a statement that it had released medallions with the face of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s face engraved on it, as well as busts resembling him to mark his fifth death anniversary.

Titled “The Pride of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew”, the series comprises of four commemorative gold, silver, and base-metal medallions, and made-to-order copper busts that come in two sizes. This latest range is part of the Singapore Salute collection. The ½ oz 999.9 fine gold and 1 oz 999 fine silver medallions in an oval shape are engraved with late Mr Lee portrait on it. The copper and nickel-plated zinc medallions also have pictures of sampans and Singapore’s skyline on the other side, showcasing the country’s development from its earlier days. As for the copper busts, they come in two different sizes – 110mm and 430mm.

Based on the Singapore Mint, the collection is “meticulously engraved and sculpted by the Singapore Mint’s master engravers with their skillful craftsmanship”, with a “dignified interpretation” of late Mr Lee’s image. “Mr Lee’s great foresight and determined pursuit of Singapore’s growth have played an important role in bringing Singapore to where it is today, and shaping the history of modern Singapore.” It continued, “The Pride of Singapore medallion range also seeks to remind Singaporeans to be resilient and indomitable to concur challenges and adversity in unity”. However, as of 7pm on the same day of the launch, the medallions and busts, priced between S$10 and S$1,888, were not available for orders anymore on The Singapore Mint’s website. The website has now a notice saying, “We have temporarily suspended this program until further notice.”


Parliamentary Statement by PM Lee Hsien Loong on calls to honour Mr Lee Kuan Yew, on 13 April 2015

During the month of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s final illness, and the week of National Mourning after he passed away, Singa­poreans experienced a tremendous outpouring of emotions – gratitude, sorrow, and solidarity. People prayed for, grieved over and paid their last respects to the founding father who had done so much to create today’s Singapore. Many wrote touching messages in condolence books and cards, and made special tribute books and items. During the Special Session of Parliament, Members spoke movingly about Mr Lee’s contributions, what he meant to them, and their personal experiences of him. I thank this House, and all Singaporeans, for their tributes to my father.

Those of us who lived through this special moment in our history, and experienced this sense of togetherness in our shared grief, will remember it for the rest of our lives. Mr Lee’s passing brought us closer together as one people and intensified our sense of nationhood. It was his last gift to us. How should we remember and honour him – his person, his contributions, his ideals? Members of the House and the public have made many suggestions. There were several questions on the Order Paper today. Ms Foo Mee Har and Dr Lily Neo suggested printing his image on our currency notes and coins; Mr Ang Wei Nang and Dr Lily Neo suggested re-naming Changi Airport after him; and Ms Foo Mee Har suggested designating a day to commemorate our founding fathers every year. And there are many more suggestions.

These are all good ideas. But we should not rush into making decisions on this matter, especially so soon after Mr Lee has passed away. We should allow some time to pass, consider the ideas carefully, and make calm, considered decisions which will stand the test of time. We want to honour Mr Lee, but we must do so in the right way:
  • Ideals, not Monuments
  • Currency Notes
  • 38 Oxley Road
  • A Founders’ Memorial


A glimpse into the private life of Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (back row, centre) outside his Norfolk Road home in 1936 with siblings (front, from left) Suan Yew, three; Monica, seven; Freddy, nine; and Dennis, 11; and parents Chua Jim Neo, 29; and Lee Chin Koon, 33
The night before Mr Lee (standing, centre) left for England, his family had a steak dinner at Pavilion Steakhouse in Orchard Road before walking to nearby Lloyd Studio for this family portrait, taken in 1946. (Clockwise from top left) Siblings Monica, Dennis, Freddy and Suan Yew, and parents Chua Jim Neo and Lee Chin Koon. Source: Lee Kuan Yew
Mr Lee asked his cousin Harold Liem to take photos of him and Ms Kwa together on Sept 5, 1946, in anticipation of the three years the couple would be apart while he studied law in England and she remained in Singapore
The couple, seen here in academic robes, graduated from Cambridge University on June 21, 1949, and was called to the Bar a year later
Mr Lee on a marine patrol boat named Tekong with (from left) Hsien Loong, Wei Ling, Hsien Yang and Mrs Lee on a Sunday outing in 1965. Source: Lee Kuan Yew

Growing up in colonial Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew was like any typical child – footloose and fancy-free. The boy who would grow up to become prime minister would catch fighting fish from drains, fly kites and take leisurely swims in the sea. Born on Sept 16, 1923, to a wealthy Straits Chinese family, he was the eldest of five children of Shell Oil Company depot manager Lee Chin Koon and Mrs Chua Jim Neo. In 1935, he topped his school in an islandwide examination and clinched a place at the prestigious Raffles Institution. He was active in scouting, playing cricket and tennis, and debating.

Four years later, he came in first in Singapore and Malaya in the Senior Cambridge examinations, winning a scholarship to read English, economics and mathematics at Raffles College. His education was interrupted by World War II. A resourceful survivor, he found work as a clerk and an English-language editor for the Japanese propaganda department. He traded food on the black market, started a stationery gum business with Mr Yong Nyuk Lin in 1944, where he met Mr Yong’s sister-in-law, Ms Kwa Geok Choo, a former Raffles College classmate whom he started dating.

After the war, Mr Lee sailed for England in 1946 on his 23rd birthday. He enrolled in the London School of Economics to read law but transferred to the more idyllic Cambridge University the next year. Ms Kwa won the Queen’s Scholarship and joined Mr Lee at Cambridge in 1947 to read law. Eager to start their life together, Mr Lee and Ms Kwa married secretly on Dec 23, 1947, at Stratford-upon-Avon. Both Mr Lee and his wife graduated from Cambridge on June 21, 1949, with first class honours, with Mr Lee winning the only star for distinction on the final Law Tripos II honours list. A year later, they were called to the Bar at Middle Temple and returned to Singapore on Aug 1, 1950.

They held their official wedding at the Registry of Marriages on Sept 30, 1950, and began married life at the Lee family’s two-storey bungalow at 38 Oxley Road. Both found jobs as pupils at Laycock & Ong in Malacca Street. Five years later, they founded their own law firm, Lee & Lee, with Mr Lee’s brother Dennis.

Mr and Mrs Lee have three children, Hsien Loong, Wei Ling and Hsien Yang, and seven grandchildren. Mrs Lee died on Oct 2, 2010, at the age of 89, and Mr Lee on March 23, 2015, at the age of 91.

Lee Kuan Yew: I WILL GET UP!

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Follow the rainbow: LKY’s grandson weds in South Africa
DBS branch in Hong Kong vandalised with vulgarities directed at PM Lee
S'pore PM Stirs Flap in Cambodia by Bringing up Vietnam’s 1979 Invasion
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