TR EMERITUS

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.” Wei Ling, for all her quirks and eccentricities, has always been forthright, principled, and courageous. I was persuaded by her to stand up for our parents. Both of us have always accepted that the Singapore government has the power to preserve our father’s house, but we reject the continued pretence that he had changed his mind, that he was somehow ‘ok’ with it. Accepting that a government has the power to take your house, does not mean that one is not gravely upset. If Lee Hsien Loong and his government wish to preserve our father’s home, then they should do so acknowledging that they preserve it against Lee Kuan Yew’s earnest wishes. Hsien Loong and his team seek ever to undermine my father’s last will on this issue. That will was proven in court in 2015, with the support of Hsien Loong and his lawyer, Lucien Wong. Even the court in my wife’s case described Lee Kuan Yew as “content” with his last will. Lee Kuan Yew could have changed it at any time between 2013 and 2015 if indeed he changed his mind. Moreover, Lee Kuan Yew expressed his wishes for demolition of his house over the years both in private and in public, including in speeches, in his book “Hard Truths” and in a video recorded before his death. If Lee Kuan Yew changed his mind, he would have made that abundantly clear. After all, Hsien Loong acknowledged in Parliament that Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to demolish his house was “unwavering”, though Hsien Loong has since backtracked. Wei Ling and I originally believed, in 2017, that Singapore had checks and balances and rule of law. We questioned “What has happened to the values of Lee Kuan Yew?” thinking that there were still men and women of integrity in the PAP, people who would speak truth to power, to put a stop to abuses of power by Hsien Loong and his wife. We rapidly learned otherwise. The party’s reaction was to convene a special session of Parliament to attack us. Yet again, Hsien Loong misused state resources to pursue his private agenda. Singapore cannot thrive under leaders who put their selfish interests ahead of the needs of the country. Wei Ling never married and, because we are close, it fell on my shoulders to look after her after our father passed away in 2015. In 2019, she was diagnosed with a serious illness. I was so glad that just before Covid in 2020, I was able to take her to Machu Picchu, a place she had always wanted to visit. She 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. The persecution we have experienced in just standing up for our father has also made me realise that I have lived in a cocoon. I belonged to ‘the family’ but had not been involved in any way in politics. I lived in a sheltered ignorance of the real Singapore, the lives and struggles of the man in the street or in that one room HDB rental flat, the wrongful persecutions of persons who were only trying to do good, whether they be caring persons in civil society, lawyers and others who were prepared to assist underdogs, or politicians who have lost much and sacrificed much because they stood for their principles, because they loved Singapore and our people. I have gained much from being part of the Singapore system, and lost much by trying to honour my father’s dying wish. If my sister and I had stayed silent—if we had let Hsien Loong rewrite history—we would have continued to lead peaceful and comfortable lives as part of the Singapore establishment. We spoke up to keep a promise to our father. No mere material calculation could outweigh the risk to our reputations and to our place in society. Even so, I did not fully foresee the costs that speaking up would impose on my wife and children. We have all paid dearly. We have been the subject of a concerted and vindictive pattern of persecution orchestrated under a system led by my own elder brother, an escalation of the very abuse of power that Wei Ling and I raised in 2017. My family and I have been subjected to a campaign of harassment and surveillance, as well as smear campaigns. These attacks intensified with the bringing of abusive and meritless legal proceedings. After what I have been through, I have no confidence whatsoever in the system. We have lost our lives in Singapore, our home, our friends, our wider families and our society. Perhaps the silver lining is that today I am a different man. Older, wiser, stronger, and also much more aware of the lives and challenges of my fellow Singaporeans. I owe a debt of gratitude that I could never repay to my wonderful wife and amazing sons who have stood by me, loved and supported me throughout, and who have been forced to suffer and pay for my principles and my conscience. I am also deeply grateful for the support I have received from so many of you, who have expressed grave concern at what is happening, and who continue to wish me well.   * Facebook post by Lee Hsien Yang.      Read More →

I once dreamed of going to work like this all day Something unusual happened today. I actually put on proper pants and a new shirt to go to work. Boss told me that we were meeting an important prospect and I needed to dress up. So, instead of the usual jeans and black t-shirt, it was pants, shirt and jacket. Having to “dress up” was a surreal experience. I remember my student days when I actually dreamed about working in a profession that needed me to the suited up. I was quite specific in my ambitions back then. Wanted to be an assistant vice-president at Citibank by the time I reached 30. Wanted to be married to a Chinese General’s daughter (or at least someone who looked like Joan Chen in the Last Emperor) and have a load of kids who would be fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese (I communicate in both very badly and am Chinese illiterate) as well as English. Well, I achieved part of my goal. I am now well over 30 and its very clear that I’m not about to work in a bank or any high flying corporate job. If anything, I try to down play things. Yes, I had a few glorious moments but these things are well in the past. Sure, I haven’t achieved anything I am particularly proud of since 2014 when I joined office-land. My greatest achievement working in office land has been to avoid doing violence to its residents and burning paper files, which seem to be generated for the sake of it. When I go for client meetings, I make it a point to let people know that the boss is the clever one, whilst I am merely a carrier of boxes. One might ask why I’ve developed a preference for doing the muscle work and a paranoia of having to do “clerk” work in my late forties. Part of the reason. I guess, is simple. I’ve reached the age where I can accept certain things are not for me and to be at ease with it. My priority is now peace of mind. Sure, I will probably need to work to the day I die and so I will need a job of sorts. However, I don’t want things that will screw up my wellbeing and to stay active. The doctors have made it clear that after nearly four-decades of too much food, booze and exercise that daily exercise for the rest of my life is no longer negotiable. So, I volunteer for the task that require me to do lots of walking and staying active because non-exercise thermogenesis (NEAT) is one of the best ways to keep the heart pumping. I avoid being in the office and doing paper work because I don’t need the drama associated with them. It’s not that I don’t like dressing up. I will, especially when I still get invites to diplomatic functions or attend court as part of my day job. There are certain places that do need to be respected with your personal dressing. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to fly first class or even private jet and stay in presidential suites. However, that’s just a nice experience. The real joy is spending time learning about a new place or simply being with loved ones. I enjoy the things money can buy but I don’t believe it’s essential to sell your soul to someone else’s ideal. I don’t need to be a uniform to say that I work in a certain job that gives me a certain status just like I proudly lost my degree certificate because I don’t need a piece of paper to tell you I’m educated – that should be clear from what little manners I have. The future at 50 looks different from 20. At 50, you know that the future comes soon enough and you got to prepare for it. I’m trying to be healthy because I’m going to need to generate an income till the day I die, so I got to be healthy to do that. I’m also going to need clarity and simplicity of expectation. There’s no point killing yourself to impress people who wouldn’t bat an eyelid the moment your coffin hits the crematorium.   Tang Li *Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.      Read More →

When the Lee family saga first erupted, Singaporeans saw it as unfortunate. As it unfolded, it became sensational, garnering not only national but international headlines. It was painful to see a family squabble turn into a spectacle. The Prime Minister’s nephew has since paid a price for his indiscretion, the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law too has paid the price for hers. Now we are told that the police is investigating both the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law and brother, and they have left the country. So the saga continues. But for Singaporeans, it is no more unfortunate and painful. It is a distraction and a disturbance. Every time something new and sensational happens, it is disturbing to families, disturbing to the community. Within families, there is arguing because people being people, they take sides. Within the community and on social media, there is bickering because there are pro-factions for the different sides of the Lee family. It also becomes a political football, especially when it makes its way into Parliament. Not to mention the own goal Singapore scores whenever it makes international headlines, ownself causing reputational damage to ownself. Unless the Lees move on, the country cannot move on. Their saga becomes our saga.   Augustine Low      Read More →