Lee siblings’ allegations against Cabinet committee should be 'put to rest': DPM Teo
A screengrab from a video showing DPM Teo Chee Hean addressing Parliament on July 4, 2017.
SINGAPORE — After two days of debate on the Lee family dispute over 38 Oxley Road, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Tuesday (July 4) that allegations about the Cabinet committee weighing the options for the property should be "put to rest".
Mr Teo, who chairs the committee, stressed that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings — Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang — knew about the committee and its terms of reference, which include assessing the historical and heritage significance of the house.
They also knew that the committee was not the place to decide the legality of the Last Will, which was a matter among its beneficiaries. He reiterated that the committee had been exploring various intermediate options for the property, which are still being studied, and that Mr Lee Hsien Yang had indicated publicly that he was open to some of these.
Noting that he has provided Members of Parliament (MPs) with letters and dates to establish the facts, he said he would leave it to the MPs to decide whether "there is any basis at all" to the claims and allegations against the committee.
He added: "It is not for me to delve into the motivations behind Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling's allegations of abuse of power over the committee. But they should not allege abuse of power simply because they were unhappy or felt uncomfortable about being asked to volunteer their views and clarifications on Mr Lee (Kuan Yew)'s wishes regarding 38 Oxley Road."
Pointing out that in fact there were several points of agreement between Mr Lee Hsien Yang and the Government, Mr Teo said the former has acknowledged that no decision was needed now since Dr Lee still lives there - which was also the Government's position. Mr Lee Hsien Yang has also recognised that "no man stands above the law", and the Government has a duty to go through due process for when a decision needs to be made on the house in future, Mr Teo added.
In recent weeks, PM Lee's siblings have heaped criticism on the Cabinet committee, which they called a "shadowy" group formed to allow PM Lee to have his way with the house and bypass the courts. They also argued that the committee cannot be independent, given that those who work for PM Lee serve on it. Mr Teo said: "There is nothing unusual nor mysterious about this. This is just the normal process of Government doing its work, properly, calmly and objectively."
During the second day of the parliamentary debate on the dispute yesterday, Workers' Party (WP) Aljunied GRC MP Chen Show Mao asked whether the committee's work in seeking out Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes beyond what was stated in his will - which has been found valid by the courts - undermines the probate court's role. Mr Teo replied: "We're not in a position to make judgment and we'll not make any judgment on the validity of Mr Lee's will."
He pointed out that the committee could have taken "quite the opposite view" to disregard the late Mr Lee's view, but felt there was "merit" in understanding Mr Lee Kuan Yew's thinking on the matter, said Mr Teo. "If we wanted to understand his views and we decided not to ask his children, that would have been very strange indeed."
Mr Teo reiterated that PM Lee did not have any influence over the committee's decisions. The Prime Minister, in his private capacity, was invited to give his views, as were his siblings. "The lines are clear," Mr Teo said.
WP Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera asked if setting up an independent committee outside the Cabinet would have prevented perceptions of a lack of independence. Mr Teo said that whether another committee was set up, a debate could still ensue over its independence and composition. Ultimately, the Cabinet would also have to decide whether to accept the committee's recommendations and "we still come back to the same issue". What matters, he said, was that there are processes in place with the Cabinet Committee, which are carried through "honestly, independently and properly".
Having known Mr Lee Hsien Yang for more than four decades, Mr Teo said the former Singtel chief executive had "contributed much" to the Singapore Armed Forces as well as the private and public sectors. "We've met a number of times since his father passed away. We spoke to each other with consideration and respect, as we always have." But he was sad that Mr Lee was not the "Hsien Yang that I knew" and he saw "hurt and strong emotions consuming him". Mr Teo added: "I do not understand what underlying, deep-rooted reasons there may be for this."
