A senior member of the ruling family was granted asylum in the UK after independent Singapore fled what he said was a campaign of persecution.
In an exclusive interview, Lee Hsien Yang told The Guardian that the authoritarian regime established by his father turned against him when he embraced the opposition following a family split.
“Despite Singapore's advanced economic prosperity, the government has the dark side of repression,” he said. “What people think is that this is some kind of paradise, but it's not.”
Under the rule of his brother, who was prime minister for 20 years until May, Lee Hsien Yang says authorities used what he called baseless accusations against him, his wife and son to trigger a series of legal proceedings. These “increased to the point that I believe that for my personal safety I should not continue living in Singapore.”
In a system with little dissent, a ruling elite that prides itself on its reputation for probity is rarely fully condemned, especially by its own.
Singapore's financial system has repeatedly played a role in international corruption scandals in recent years. Lee Hsien Yang said: “People need to look beyond Singapore's bold and false claims and see what reality is like.”
He added: “The world needs to pay more attention to Singapore's significant contribution to the arms trade, dirty money, drug money and crypto money.”
A Singapore government spokesperson said: “We have a robust system to prevent and address money laundering and other illicit financial flows.” It ranks higher than the UK on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
Duncan Hames, policy director at Transparency International UK, said: “Britain knows only too well that countries may appear to have no corruption problems at home, but they play a key role in enabling corruption networks elsewhere. “Singapore’s regional role as a major financial center is attractive to those seeking to move or conceal illicit funds, particularly from relatively high-risk neighborhoods.”
Lee Hsien Yang's father, Lee Kuan Yew, transformed Singapore from its chronic poverty and unemployment to an economic powerhouse. As Prime Minister from 1959, he secured the independence of the former British colony.
But his regime imprisoned hundreds of opposition figures, restricted press and social freedoms, and established an effective one-party government. As has been described “The favorite dictator of the democratic world.”
After his resignation in 1990, he maintained significant influence as a senior minister until 2004. That year, his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, became prime minister, a position he held for two decades until May this year. Like his father, he took over as a senior cabinet minister and continued to consolidate power. Control techniques may be subtle, but Human Rights Watch still describes the country as “extremely repressive.”
That vision is shared by the youngest son of the founding father. After studying at Cambridge, Lee Hsien Yang served in the military, retiring as a brigadier and subsequently held leadership positions in some of Singapore's largest private companies.
Speaking to The Guardian in the UK, where he is now an official refugee, he said: “The sad thing is that Singapore puts up this shiny facade and says we are very good at the rule of law and that we have developed society. However, at the center we maintain these repressive measures. Many of them came from when my father was Prime Minister and when it was a British colony.
The patriarch's death in 2015 left the family divided over what to do with their home. Lee Kuan Yew, who despised monuments to dead leaders, had long said he wanted to demolish them once his daughter no longer lived there. She accepted this, as did Lee Hsien Yang.
But then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his father was open to the government about what to do with the house. He says he stays out of matters related to the home.
“It is clear that the current generation [of leaders] I will try hard to establish links with Lee Kuan Yew,” said Sudhir Vadaket, editor of Singapore weekly Jom. “Lee Kuan Yew is the goose that lays the golden eggs of legitimacy.”
A disagreement over the house led to legal action. In 2017, Lee Hsien Yang's son was accused of “defaming the judiciary” on Facebook, claiming that Singapore had a “compromised judicial system”. He was fined S$15,000. In 2018, Singapore's Attorney General filed disciplinary proceedings against successful corporate lawyer Lee Soot Fern, wife of Lee Hsien Yang. He was suspended for 15 months after being accused of misconduct in relation to his father-in-law's will. The couple is also being investigated for perjury.
In 2020, Lee Hsien Yang joined the opposition. He told The Guardian he believed the allegations were attempts to destroy him for political reasons. He also said he was one of the targets of Singapore's “extensive surveillance system”. He was granted asylum in August after two years in the UK from Singapore. “I admit that Singapore bothers me,” said Lee Hsien Yang.
When asked about his brother's role, he said: “In my opinion, in a tightly controlled country like Singapore, such activities would not have taken place without the consent and approval of Lee Hsien Loong.”
A government spokesman said Lee Hsien Yang and his family “will always be free to return to Singapore.” The spokesperson said allegations that they were victims of “baseless” and “unfounded” harassment were unfounded. “Findings of Law [against Lee Hsien Yang] Duly supported by public and well-documented findings of an independent judiciary.
The spokesperson added: “No one is above the law in Singapore.” Anyone, including descendants of the founding Prime Minister… can be investigated and brought to trial.
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