TL;DR – If the Prime Minister is willing to testify, so why not his siblings also?
A reader sent us a link to a petition after reading our earlier article on why we think the decision to keep or demolish the 38 Oxley Road house cannot be just up to the Lees.
It’s quite an interesting petition. It suggests that now that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is suing Terry Xu of The Online Citizen (TOC), it means that PM Lee will testify in court, so both PM Lee’s siblings, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling, ought to show up in court too to provide their statement on the alleged defamation brought before Terry Xu.
It will be interesting to see if his siblings, together with Terry Xu, will testify, and repeat the same allegations in the Oxley Road dispute.
The person who started the petition, a certain Lim Jun Hao, then proceed to give five reasons why Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling should show up in court to defend Terry Xu.
- Because Singapore is founded on the rule of law.
- The Oxley Road house is not a matter of private individuals.
- Terry Xu should not be thrown into the deep end on his own.
- The allegations have been muddled, unclear and ambiguous to the average reader.
- If the Prime Minister is willing to testify, so why not his siblings also?
What is Prime Minister Lee’s stand?
According to media reports, PM Lee’s press secretary Chang Li Lin has said that PM had filed the suit because “the allegations are completely false.”
“If there is a trial, PM Lee will testify in court. His siblings can decide, together with Mr Xu, whether they too will testify, and repeat the allegations in court,” said Ms Chang in the statement. “The court can then establish the facts.”
Here is the full petition
Singapore prides itself as a country founded on the rule of law, and this is the impetus for this petition. Both Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling ought to show up in court to provide their statement on the alleged defamation brought before Terry Xu.
Terry Xu published an article on his blog The Online Citizen that is reported to carry allegations originating from both Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling in the Oxley Road dispute.
The Prime Minister will testify in court. His siblings will then decide, together with Mr Xu, whether they too will testify, and repeat the same allegations.
Why is the presence of LHY and LWL a matter of national interest to Singaporeans?
1. Singapore is founded on the rule of law.
It is this brand that allows Singapore to be taken seriously on a national level. If there was a tort committed, the pair must be there to defend or deny the allegations themselves. If the Prime Minister is not at liberty to sue his siblings, then his siblings must acknowledge or reject these claims publicly in person.
2. The Oxley Road house is not a matter of private individuals.
It is a matter of national interest to be decided on by Singaporeans. The issues surrounding the late Lee Kuan Yew’s last will and testament must be clarified, or it will forever be a grey stain on Singapore’s history. This is not an ordinary family – the work of this family impacts the lives of Singaporeans past, present and future and these very Singaporeans in turn have a right to truth, justice and clarity.
3. Terry Xu should not be thrown into the deep end on his own.
If he believes in the right to the freedom of speech, he must be able to defend this freedom such that it will not be abused. He is standing by the content and the source of his content. This source must testify whether or not these statements were indeed statements of fact or otherwise. Terry should not shoulder this burden without a means of defending himself.
4. The allegations made by the Lee siblings have been muddled, unclear and ambiguous to the average reader.
The courts can certainly help to shed clarity on the matter but it would not be possible if all the Lees were not present to answer to questions raised by the court.
5. Last, but not least – the Prime Minister is willing to testify, so why not his siblings also?
If each individual has nothing to hide, bring it before the courts and let justice take its course.
Do go sign the petition if you agree that the Lee Siblings should show up and defend Terry Xu in court.
After all, Lee Hsien Yang and his wife had presumably already been supporting Terry Xu since they attended TOC’s fundraising dinner a few months back.
Meanwhile, you can read PM Lee’s ministerial statement on 38 Oxley Road in Parliament back in July 2017 here.