Family Feuds: From Tong Garden To Yeo’s, here Are 7 Of Singapore’s Battles For Fortunes
There is a saying that family businesses seldom last beyond three generations — “the first generation builds, the second preserves, the third destroys”.
Power struggles are inevitable, since everyone will feel that they have a right to the family fortune, and internal politics in a large corporation will only exacerbate it.
We take a look at some of the infamous family disputes for fortunes and business empires that have shaken Singapore:
- Tong Garden
- Yeo Hiap Seng
- Chew Kee vs Chiew Kee
- The Moh Brothers Of Swee Kee, A Famous Chicken Rice Shop
- Dovechem Group
- Battle Over Fortune Of Shipping Magnate Ng Teow Yhee
- Sisters vs Sisters
Family feuds over fortunes and business empires: 7 cases that have grabbed headlines
Mr Moh Tai Siang is suing his two brothers, Royston and Freddy, over the family's Branksome Road home that was sold for $16 million in 2015. ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
The latest dispute over family property to make it to court involves the surviving sons of the founder of Swee Kee, a famous chicken rice shop. On Thursday (Jan 11), third son Moh Tai Sang lost his court fight against his two brothers for a share in the Katong family home that sold for $16 million in 2015.
He had claimed that a quarter of the sales proceeds should go to him, even though he had signed a document transferring his share of the house to his two brothers three decades ago. Large inheritances have often resulted in pitched court battles and feuds among family members.
To misquote Leo Tolstoy, each unhappy family feud is unhappy in its own way. Here are 7 cases from The Straits Times archive:
- Tussle over Malaysia tycoon's firms
- The Jumabhoys' public fallout over Scotts Holdings
- Fight to control Yeo Hiap Seng
- Brother files suit over Yeo family properties
- Battle over fortune of shipping magnate Ng Teow Yhee
- Siblings tussle over $4m house
- Mother wants share of daughter's home
Family feuds over fortunes and business empires: 6 cases in Singapore that made headlines
The multi-million dollar court case over Malaysian property tycoon Loong Yoke Phin's four family-owned firms is not uncommon. Eight of the late tycoon's daughters are seeking to cash out their stake by winding up the companies, or by selling their shares to brother Long Shin and third sibling Sweet Ying.
Large inheritances have often resulted in pitched court battles and feuds among family members. To misquote Leo Tolstoy, each unhappy family feud is unhappy in its own way.
Here are 7 cases from The Straits Times archive:
- Malaysian tycoons children in lawsuit over 4 family-owned firms
- The Jumabhoys' public fallout over Scotts Holdings
- Fight to control Yeo Hiap Seng
- Brother files suit over Yeo family properties
- Battle over fortune of shipping magnate Ng Teow Yhee
- Siblings tussle over $4m house
- Mother wants share of daughter's home
Son of Swee Kee chicken rice founder sues 2 brothers for alleged share of $16m house
A son of Swee Kee chicken rice founder, Moh Tai Siang (left) sues two brothers, Royston Moh Tai Suan (middle) and Moh Tai Tong (right) in tussle over a house which has been sold for $16 million, at the High Court, April 18, 2017. ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
The third son of the man who founded the famous Swee Kee chicken rice shop on Tuesday (Apr 18) took his two brothers to court to fight for his share of the family home in Katong that was sold for $16 million in 2015.
Back in 1985, Mr Moh Tai Siang, 59, had transferred his one-quarter share in the Branksome Road house to second son Tai Tong, also known as Freddy, and youngest son Tai Suan, also known as Royston. Three decades later, he is suing his two brothers for $4 million - his one-quarter share of the sales proceeds. He contended that all these years, Freddy, 61, and Royston, 58, have been holding his stake on trust for him.
The three brothers are sons of the late Mr Moh Lee Twee, who opened the renowned Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant on Middle Road in 1949. Swee Kee, often regarded as the pioneer of Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore, closed its doors in 1997. In 1957, Mr Moh bought the Branksome Road house, which was home for him, his wife and his four sons and their families. After his death in 1977, his widow continued staying there but the sons later moved out except for Freddy.
Swee Kee: The Rise and Fall of The Chicken Rice Empire
In Singapore, chicken rice is not just a dish. The muse for local film productions, like the ‘Chicken Rice War’, this simple but scrumptious dish holds a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans. Moh Lee Twee started as a street vendor selling chicken and rice out of bamboo tubes. His chicken rice was a hit and he soon opened his shop: Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant.
For the younger generation who may not have heard about Swee Kee, it was considered the place to go for chicken rice. In fact, Violet Oon noted that Swee Kee’s chicken rice “was unanimously agreed” to be Singapore’s best in the 50s and 60s in her review of the shop. Unfortunately, when Swee Kee closed its doors in 1997 for renovation, it didn’t reopen again. The golden age of chicken rice has come to an end and the name soon faded from people’s memories. In 2015, however, Swee Kee’s name was splashed across papers again. Not because it was reopening but because the sons of Moh Lee Twee were suing each other over rights to the family home. Located in Katong, the jewel of the East, the Moh family house sits on an impressive 13,844 square feet of freehold land. When Moh Lee Twee bought this property in 1957, he intended it to be a home for his family and his sons’ families. He may or may not have predicted to hit the real estate jackpot when the property value inflated to the point where it was auctioned and sold for $16.3 million in 2015.
Before his death in 1977, Moh Lee Twee distributed the house shares to his four sons equally. At that time, only his eldest son was of legal age to receive his shares. The remaining shares for his other sons were held in a trust and given to them when they turned 21 years old. As a businessman, he had the wisdom and foresight to plan and distribute his wealth using the appropriate financial tools. However, despite all his planning, he still couldn’t prevent family fights from breaking out. The third son, Moh Tai Siang, took his brothers Freddy and Royston Moh to court to fight for his share of the family home. His eldest brother, Moh Tai Sing, passed away in a car accident in 1987.
Deep-fried war: 2 brothers run rival Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff stalls metres apart
Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Since 1952 run by Ray Ng and Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original Since 1952 run by Peter Ng. (PHOTOS: Bryan Tan/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Fans of the famous “Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff” can be excused if they think they are seeing double at the second level of Hong Lim Market & Food Centre.
Situated just two units away from each other – and differentiated by one contentious word – are the Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original Since 1952 at #02-36 and Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Since 1952 at #02-34. The stalls, run separately by two brothers, personify a tale of fierce sibling rivalry over the legacy of the beloved curry puffs first created by their father seven decades ago.
Peter Ng, 56, and Ray Ng, 50, began helping their father, Ng Yong Cheong, at the original Hong Lim stall at #02-36 in 2000 and 1997, respectively. Peter operates Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original Since 1952, while Ray set up his stall under the name Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Since 1952 only in March this year. During a recent visit to the stalls, Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore approached the brothers separately to talk about how they run their business.
Peter was more forthcoming in telling his version of the history of Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff, insisting that his stall is the one and only “original”. “This is a business but now it’s like a war, we are like enemies. He (Ray) is trying to kill me,” Peter said bitterly about the family fallout. In contrast, Ray preferred to talk about making curry puffs. When asked about the rivalry, he was reticent and would only say, “You want to talk about why we have the same name but the other stall (has) no queue, is it?” The story began when the senior Ng started selling the family’s flaky treat in the area around Orchard Road and Scotts Road in the early 1950s. He later moved his business to the historic Read Bridge at Clarke Quay in an area called cha chun tau, a jetty for boats to unload firewood.
Man who co-owns $1.5m condo with mother loses his share after suing her
Mr Cheng Ao contended that Madam Yong Njo Siong holds her half-share of the Tropical Spring apartment in Simei on trust for him. PHOTO: ST
A man who co-owns a condominium unit with his mother and made all the payments for the property has lost his half-share of the $1.5 million apartment after he sued the widow for her stake.
Mr Cheng Ao, who was 56 during the trial in 2022, contended that Madam Yong Njo Siong, 82, holds her half-share of the Tropical Spring apartment in Simei on trust for him. This would effectively mean he owns the entire property.
Madam Yong counterclaimed against him and argued that the funds he used to pay for the unit had come from her share of the money her late husband Tondo Satrio distributed among the family members.
Grandmother and grandson tussle over assets, judge dismisses both sides’ claims
The assets included a flat, a POSB account with about $120,800 and an OCBC account with about $55,500. PHOTO: ST FILE
The mother of a divorced man who died without a will sued her grandson to lay claim over her son’s assets, including a $450,000 Housing Board flat in Tanjong Pagar.
Madam Rasalingam Letchumee, 82, contended that she was legally entitled to the property and money because her son repeatedly told her – from mid-2005 to 2019 – that his assets would go to her should he die before her.
She said she treated the flat as her home, spent money to renovate and improve it, looked after her son, did the household chores and paid for household expenses.
Woman sues brother to reclaim over $3 million in proceeds from condo sale
Many rightful owners of real estate could have avoided painful court tussles if their names were properly listed as legal owners. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
At first glance, this is an inspirational tale of how a Singapore girl raised in a one-bedroom shophouse with her parents and six siblings became a successful entrepreneur, earning almost $50,000 in some months when she was just 25 years old.
It is also a heartrending story of how all her financial contributions, which greatly improved her family’s lifestyle, were never recognised.
Her name was excluded from properties that her parents bought with her money, and when her mother died, other siblings were named as beneficiaries in the will.
When a father tried to reclaim a $1.5m condo given to son
Do not take the creation of trust lightly as it is meant to protect the interest of its beneficiaries only. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
It is common for relatives to stake claims on family assets.
But few people will go as far as an embittered man suing his former wife and son to reclaim a $1.5 million condominium by alleging that a law had been broken.
He alleged that the condo was bought under a “sham” arrangement aimed at evading taxes.
Friends of man killed by father-in-law lose lawsuit for a share in $4.6m Holland Village property
The friends claimed that they each owned a share of the property registered in Mr Spencer Tuppani's (left) sole name. PHOTOS: ST FILE, SPENCER TUPPANI
The High Court on Monday (Aug 29) dismissed a lawsuit brought by two friends of businessman Spencer Tuppani, who was fatally stabbed by his father-in-law in 2017, for a share of a $4.6 million Holland Village property.
Mr Jason Er Kok Yong, 42, and Mr Lawrence Lim Soon Hwa, 46, claimed that they each own a one-third share of the property that was registered in Mr Tuppani's sole name.
They claimed the three of them agreed to each contribute $535,200 in cash towards the purchase of the Lorong Mambong property that was tenanted to well-known pub Wala Wala Cafe Bar.
Woman loses claim to 73 per cent share in $1.7m house on appeal
The appeal court found no clear evidence of an oral agreement that Ms Susan Yeow bought the terraced house in Jalan Rengkam with a close friend. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
A woman whose claim of a 73 per cent share in a $1.7 million house was upheld by the High Court last year saw the decision reversed on appeal before the Appellate Division of the High Court last month.
The three-judge panel of the appeal court found there was no clear evidence of an oral agreement at the time she bought the property with a close friend on which her claim was based.
Ms Susan Yeow had claimed that she and Mr Ravindaranath Ramasamy had jointly bought the house in 2008 as an investment, but placed the property under his sole name to "save costs" on stamp duties and property tax.
Appeals court excludes ex-hubby's share of parents' home from matrimonial assets
Family lawyers say the appellate court's decision will provide greater clarity as to what will be considered a matrimonial home when deciding a couple's assets for division. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
A woman who lived with her husband in his parents' home, of which he had a one-third share, will not get any portion from the $1.77 million interest upon their divorce, after an appeals court ruled that the interest was not a matrimonial asset for division between the pair.
The decision earlier this month by the Appellate Division of the High Court reversed the High Court's judgment last year which included the one-third share as part of the matrimonial assets, since the property was their matrimonial home.
Family lawyers say the appellate court's decision will provide greater clarity as to what will be considered a matrimonial home when deciding a couple's assets for division.
Apex court chides man over bid to reduce ex-wife's share of $13m in matrimonial assets
doctor whose share of $13 million in matrimonial assets was raised to 75 per cent by Singapore's highest court in 2020 has failed in a further bid to reduce what his former wife can get.
The man, who had been ordered to pay $2.3 million to his ex-wife, argued that the sum should be reduced as he had trouble selling one of his three properties in Singapore due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Eng Kong Place property was sold in February last year for $2.4 million, which was $1.1 million below valuation.
Wife gets larger share of marital assets of $1.2m, after ex-husband claims he has less than $500 cash
The Court of Appeal concluded that the man had failed to disclose about $1.8 million in assets. PHOTO: ST FILE
A partner in a law firm, who earned at least $4.5 million from 2010 to 2016, declared in divorce proceedings that he has only $425.44 in total in all his bank accounts.
But the Court of Appeal in a judgment on Monday (Nov 2), after scrutinising his finances, concluded that the man had failed to disclose about $1.8 million in assets.
The three-judge apex court added this sum back into the pool of matrimonial assets, and as a result, the man's wife is now entitled to $1.2 million of the couple's combined assets.
Two sons of former president Ong Teng Cheong face off in court battle over family business
Mr Ong Tze Guan (left) has sued his younger brother Tze Boon and six other shareholders for minority oppression. PHOTOS: MY PAPER FILE, ONG&ONG
Two sons of former Singapore president Ong Teng Cheong are facing off in court in a dispute over shareholdings in the holding company that controls the architecture business founded by their parents. Older brother Ong Tze Guan, 55, has sued his younger brother Ong Tze Boon and six other shareholders, alleging minority oppression.
The engineering-trained Tze Guan had a 28.45 per cent stake in Ong&Ong Holdings. Tze Boon, 53, an architect, had a 70.43 per cent stake. He has counterclaimed against Tze Guan for defamation and to recover an outstanding loan. Tze Guan's shares were transferred to the other shareholders in September last year for $1.65 million through a procedure set out in the company's articles of association.
He contends the transfer was procured by the defendants at an undervalue. Tze Guan is asking the High Court to set aside the "erroneous" valuation and to order the defendants to buy him out, either at an agreed price or at a price fixed by an independent expert.
Sons of former S'pore president Ong Teng Cheong in court battle over shares in family business
Two sons of former Singapore president Ong Teng Cheong are battling in court over the shares in their family business Ong&Ong Holdings. 55-year-old Ong Tze Guan sued his younger brother Ong Tze Boon, 53, and six other shareholders for alleged minority oppression, as reported by The Straits Times (ST) on July 1, citing Lianhe Zaobao.
Tze Guan alleged that his shares in the family business were undervalued after he was removed as a director from nine companies between June 2018 and January 2019. The shares were acquired by the seven defendants for S$1.65 million in Sep. 2020, based on the company auditor's valuation. According to The Business Times (BT), Tze Guan had a 28.45 per cent stake in Ong&Ong Holdings while Tze Boon held a 70.43 per cent stake.
However, Tze Boon now holds a 90.28 per cent stake after the share transfer. The other six defendants hold stakes of between 0.12 per cent and 4.96 per cent each. There were also other financial matters that Tze Guan alleged were unfair to him. Tze Guan is asking the High Court to order the defendants to buy him out, either at an agreed price or at a price fixed by a court-appointed independent expert, according to ST.
Ex-president Ong Teng Cheong's elder son sues sister-in-law over Dalvey Estate GCB
The dispute is related to a bungalow in Dalvey Estate that used to be the private residence of former president Ong Teng Cheong. - ST
The elder son of former president Ong Teng Cheong is taking his sister-in-law to court, nearly a year after settling a dispute with her husband - his younger brother - over the architectural business founded by their parents. This time, the dispute is related to an award-winning Art Deco bungalow in Dalvey Estate near the Botanic Gardens that used to be the private residence of the late Ong Teng Cheong, The Straits Times has learnt.
Court documents obtained by ST showed that Ong Tze Guan brought a legal action on Aug 17 against Wang Yi Yi, the wife of his younger brother, Ong Tze Boon, who is executive chairman of the Ong&Ong group. The elder Ong has applied for court orders to get Wang to either buy his share of the Dalvey Estate bungalow based on the prevailing market valuation, or for the property to be sold on the open market and the sales proceeds to be divided equally between him and Wang. In his application, he asked that should the property be sold in the open market, the proceeds would be applied to fees, stamp duties and expenses related to the property sale, and be divided equally between him and his sister-in-law in respect to the 50 per cent share they each hold, or in a proportion determined by the court.
According to a property title search, Ong Tze Guan and Wang are listed as tenants in common in equal shares in the two-storey bungalow, which is in the Dalvey Estate Good Class Bungalow (GCB) area. Designed by Frank Wilhim Brewer (1886-1971) and built in 1927, the bungalow is one of 14 conserved buildings in the Nassim Road & White House Park Conservation Area.
Ex-president Ong Teng Cheong's family settles dispute, but Dalvey Estate bungalow's fate unclear
The fate of the family property - an award-winning Art Deco bungalow in the Dalvey Estate - remains unclear. FOTO: ST
A legal dispute between the elder son of former president Ong Teng Cheong and his former sister-in-law, Madam Wang Yi Yi, has been settled.
However, the fate of their family property - an award-winning Art Deco bungalow in the Dalvey Estate good class bungalow (GCB) area near Botanic Gardens - remains unclear.
Former president Ong Teng Cheong’s elder son sues sister-in-law
It is understood that the legal case between Ong Tze Guan and his former sister-in-law has been resolved out of court. However, there is yet no confirmation if the resolution includes putting the bungalow up for sale in the open market (for the proceeds to be shared equally) or for her to buy Ong’s share of the house. The 56-year-old elder son of ex-president Ong Teng Cheong, Mr Ong Tze Guan, has been reported to be taking his former sister-in-law, Madam Wang Yi Yi, to court over an award-winning Art Deco bungalow in Dalvey Estate GCB Area near Botanic Gardens.
This comes about a year after he settled a dispute with her former husband, Mr Ong Tze Boon, who is his 53-year-old younger brother, over shareholdings in the company that controls the architecture business founded by their parents. For this particular case, the two-storey bungalow used to be the private residence of the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong. The former president passed away in 2002 at the age of 66, while his late wife, Madam Ling Siew May, passed away in 1999. The property now lists Mr Ong Tze Guan and Madam Wang as tenants in common with equal shares each. According to The Straits Times, the court order is to get Wang to buy over Ong’s share of the bungalow based on the current market valuation, or to sell the property in the open market and have the sales proceeds divided equally between them.
If the property is sold in the open market, the proceeds are to be applied to fees, stamp duties and related expenses to the sale. There is no indication for whom Wang is holding the share of the property in trust. The bungalow was originally designed by Frank Wilmin Brewer (1886-1971), a British architect who was the first university-trained architect to practice in Singapore. After his arrival in Singapore in 1920, he introduced a late Arts and Craft Movement style to the Singapore house. It was during this period when he built the Dalvey Estate house in 1927. Brewer was also behind the Art Deco styles in the Singapore Swimming Club’s clubhouse (1936) and the original Cathay Cinema (1939).
Why are Singapore's first family feuding?
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. On one side of the dispute stands the eldest son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, who believes the government must decide what should be done. On the other are his siblings - Lee Hsien Yang and his sister Lee Wei Ling.
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. “His popularity is inextricably linked to Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy,” they said in a 2017 statement. Prime Minister Lee has said his father was prepared to consider alternatives for the property if the government decided to gazette the site and that he has recused himself from government discussions on the matter.
In Singapore, Family Feud Deepens Over Facebook Posts
Singapore’s government has been trying for two weeks to get the Harvard economist Li Shengwu, a grandson of Singapore’s founder, Lee Kuan Yew, to apologize for comments he made in a private Facebook post that were seen as critical of the country’s leadership. The Singapore attorney general’s office even drafted an apology letter for Mr. Li to sign, in which he would admit to contempt of court and to making what it called “false and baseless” statements. But on Friday, Mr. Li declined to give in to the demands of the government, which is led by his uncle, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and refused to sign the apology.
In the Facebook post last month, he said that some foreign news outlets engaged in self-censorship when covering the prime minister because of the threat of legal action in Singapore. The dispute is the latest in a bitter family drama that has riveted the city-state and raised questions about the legacy of Mr. Lee, Singapore’s first prime minister, and how the nation should be governed after 58 years of one-party rule. In refusing to apologize, Mr. Li said Friday in a new Facebook post, this one public, that his criticism of Singapore for suppressing press freedom was aimed at the government, not the courts. “It is not my intent to attack the Singapore judiciary or to undermine public confidence in the administration of justice,” he wrote. “Any criticism I made is of the Singapore government’s litigious nature, and its use of legal rules and actions to stifle the free press.” The sparring comes as Singapore’s most prominent family has been battling over Lee Kuan Yew’s wish that the family home where he lived for nearly 70 years be demolished after his death. He died in 2015 at 91.
Two of Mr. Lee’s three children have accused their elder brother, the prime minister, of abusing his power to try to save the house as a historic monument, in defiance of their father’s will. The prime minister’s motive, they said, was to bolster his own legitimacy and further the possibility of a Lee family dynasty, charges he has denied. The dispute turned into a public spectacle last month when Mr. Lee devoted two days to parliamentary discussion of his siblings’ complaints against him. “In Singapore, everyone is equal before the law,” he told Parliament. “When the dust has settled on this unhappy episode, people must know that the government in Singapore operates transparently, impartially and properly.” The government continues to monitor criticism, including comments from the prime minister’s nephew at Harvard.
Singapore’s Lee family feud: Lee Hsien Yang and wife Lee Suet Fern face perjury probe
The estranged younger brother of Singapore’s current prime minister, Lee Hsien Yang, and his wife, are being investigated for giving false evidence in judicial proceedings over Singapore’s late independence leader Lee Kuan Yew. The three children of Lee Kuan Yew have been embroiled in a public feud over their late father’s legacy since 2017, with eldest son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on one side, and Lee Hsien Yang and sister Lee Wei Ling on the other.
The revelation regarding the police probe into Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern represents a fresh twist to a saga involving the country’s unofficial “first family” that had largely died down since 2020. Responding to a lawmaker’s query, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said in a written statement that the husband-wife pair had initially agreed to a police interview “but later had a change of heart and refused to attend”. Though the couple was asked to reconsider their decision to participate in investigations, they had since left and remained out of Singapore, he said. Police would take “necessary steps” to complete their investigations in the couple’s absence, Teo said.
The police investigation is linked to a case before the country’s Court of Three Judges – Singapore apex judicial body for misconduct by lawyers – in 2020. The court at the time handed Lee Suet Fern a 15-month suspension of her licence to practise law, upholding a disciplinary panel’s finding that she had acted improperly when handling Lee Kuan Yew’s will. The Court of Three Judges, in their ruling, noted that the couple had lied under oath. Teo said the police commenced investigations into them for potential offences of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings.
A timeline of Singapore's Lee family feud
The dispute among the descendants of the late Lee Kuan Yew escalated on Wednesday morning (14 June) when Lee Hsien Yang, 60, and Lee Wei Ling, 62, issued a statement denouncing their eldest brother, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
At the centre of their feud: the fate of the house at 38 Oxley Road, the former residence of their late father, who was Singapore’s first prime minister from 1959 to 1990. Hsien Yang and Wei Ling accused PM Lee, 65, of pursuing a personal agenda with regard to the house. Hsien Yang is currently chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), while Wei Ling is former director of the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI). PM Lee, who is currently on overseas leave, quickly issued a flat denial of their allegations. He also expressed disappointment that his siblings had chosen to make private family matters public and said he would consider the matter further upon his return.
The feud among the three had been building up after their father passed away on 23 March, 2015. Besides the Oxley Road residence, Hsien Yang and Wei Ling are also in dispute with the government over the use of oral transcripts of interviews conducted with the late Lee by the Oral History Department in the 1980s.
Singapore’s Lee Family Feuds Over Allegations of Dynastic Politics
A rare, public dispute between two of the children of Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, is dredging up sensitive allegations of dynastic politics and the pervasive influence of the Lee family as the country’s ruling party begins to groom a new wave of leaders.
The row erupted when the former leader’s daughter, Lee Wei Ling, took to Facebook on Sunday to publish an email exchange with a local newspaper that she accused of censoring an article in which she criticized what she called the “hero worship” of her father, who died at the age of 91 in March last year. In the exchange, Ms. Lee also criticized her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for allegedly “abusing his power” and attempting to “establish a dynasty,” as she put it, for holding a commemoration ceremony for the first anniversary of her father’s death. Official venues such as the state palace and Parliament were opened to host commemoration events and government-funded grass-roots groups were involved in the organization of memorials to mark the anniversary.
Prime Minister Lee, who has led the country since 2004, later used his own Facebook page to respond in a post that said he was “deeply saddened” by his sister’s comments and that “the accusations are completely untrue.”
related: Singapore Family Feud
Why Singapore’s Lee Family Feud Isn’t Just a Private Siblings’ Squabble
Tensions have simmered, with occasional eruptions, between Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his younger siblings for years. It’s a family squabble that has brought much embarrassment to Singaporeans watching from the sidelines, but this fight shouldn’t just be seen as a domestic affair.
Almost three years after Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger siblings publicly fell out with their brother on Facebook, the family feud continues to fester under the surface, occasionally rearing its head in the local news cycle. In its latest development, a disciplinary tribunal has found that Lee Suet Fern, a lawyer and wife of the premier’s brother, Lee Hsien Yang, had misled Lee Kuan Yew—Singapore’s first prime minister—into signing his last will. The penalty is not yet clear, but she could be facing suspension, or even disbarment.
While this doesn’t deviate from the competing narratives that have been presented to the public since 2017, it does propel the feud back into the spotlight, pointing to the lasting tensions, anger, and splits within Singapore’s “top” family. Many might be observing with the curious, yet detached, interest of a soap opera fan watching the plot twists unfold, but this whole saga has a relevance to Singapore and Singaporeans that goes far beyond one family’s quarrel.
Lee family still just can’t get along in Singapore
When the fifth anniversary of the death of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was observed earlier this year, his estranged children mourned apart. An acrimonious dispute among the siblings that began over the fate of their late father’s estate has not yet been put to rest and has since taken on political dimensions.
Related legal proceedings are set to be heard in 2021, including a defamation case brought by the late Lee’s eldest son, incumbent Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, against a local news editor who repeated an allegation made by his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang and sister Lee Wei Ling, neither of whom the premier has sued directly. With the prime minister now expected to retain power and push back a leadership transition that was set to happen by 2022 in order to see the nation through the Covid-19 crisis, it remains to be seen how a bitter family feud could play out in the final years of Lee’s litigious rule.
Unprecedented public sparring between members of Singapore’s first family began in earnest in 2017 when the premier’s siblings accused him of abusing his executive powers to impede their efforts to demolish the family bungalow, a five-bedroom residence at 38 Oxley Road, as their elder statesmen father had wanted and stipulated in his will. The Lee siblings alleged that their elder brother, who has served as prime minister since 2004, sought to preserve the house to further his own political capital. Moreover, they accused him of using “the organs of state” against them and grooming his son Li Hongyi to take up a future political role, allegations that the premier has adamantly denied.
Lee Hsien Yang @ 12h Singapore - My Country
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.”
The famiLEE feud hots up over LKY's last will
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.
