In the summertime of 2017, whereas he was visiting his dad and mom in Singapore, he wrote feedback in a non-public Fb publish that criticized the federal government for utilizing the courts to silence its critics. The federal government is “very litigious and has a pliant court docket system,” he wrote. Quickly after, he acquired a tip that he was about to be prosecuted for it. He hurried again to the US. Even in the course of the Trump administration, which was identified for its harsh therapy of immigrants, he felt relieved to land on American soil as a result of he knew there have been impartial judges, he instructed me. He was convicted in absentia in Singapore for “scandalizing the judiciary” and fined $15,000, which bars him from operating for parliament for 5 years.
Final month, officers in Singapore introduced an ongoing police investigation of Shengwu Li’s dad and mom, who’re accused of manipulating a 90-year-old Lee Kuan Yew into altering his will and mendacity about it afterward. The accusation stems from a simmering disagreement over the destiny of the household dwelling, which Lee Kuan Yew stated publicly at occasions that he wished demolished after his demise.
Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son, says he has been preventing to honor his father’s want to not have a cult of persona constructed round the home. However he says his elder brother, the prime minister, desires to protect the home as a nationwide monument to bolster his personal political legitimacy. Lee Hsien Yang spoke out publicly towards his brother, solely to get hit with an investigation. Finally, he fled the nation, like his son. It appears to be an instance of what Kenneth Paul Tan, a Singaporean professor of cultural research, calls the “politics of evermore subtle bullying.” At its core, the combat isn’t a couple of home or a will. It’s about the way forward for Singapore.
“The establishments in Singapore, whether or not it’s the judiciary, the civil service, the military, the establishments of upper studying, have all progressively come beneath direct management in a approach that stifles impartial pondering and problem,” Lee Hsien Yang instructed me. Lee Kuan Yew would solicit totally different views and infrequently change his thoughts, he stated. “Right this moment, the Singapore authorities not have individuals who would problem the system to say, ‘Right here’s my view. I don’t suppose you might be doing the fitting factor.’ They’re too well-paid.”
(Ho Moon Shin, a authorities spokesperson, denied that Lee Hsien Yang and Shengwu Li are in exile, saying they’re touring on Singaporean passports and are free to return dwelling. She additionally stated Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recused himself from the instances involving the household home.)
