I try to remain open-minded and understand why people take certain positions, even if I fundamentally disagree with them. One thing I do not accept is ignorance of facts, but in this case there's ample space for subjectivity, so I try not to dismiss sympathies for Lee Hsien Yang casually.
I can understand there will always be people who side with the opposition and, thus, sympathise with him. I can also understand those who are trying to make arguments about Lee Kuan Yew's will, and what he really intended, because of the contradictions between several versions of the document as well as his own public statements over the years.
As a result, I get why, for these reasons, one may side with Lee Hsien Yang, or accept some of his explanations.
However, one thing is absolutely inexcusable in any reasonable, logical way – and that is his fake exile. It, ultimately, destroys all of his credibility.
Let's remind ourselves: Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, Lee Suet Fern, are under investigation for giving false evidence during disciplinary proceedings of the latter's involvement in drafting and execution of Lee Kuan Yew's last will.
She was ultimately suspended from practice for 15 months by the Court of Three Judges, the highest disciplinary body for the judicial profession in Singapore, headed by the Chief Justice of the country, Sundaresh Menon.
In the process, both LHY and LSF were found to have given conflicting accounts at various stages of the investigation, both in public and under oath. It's all been recorded and proven.
It's not a matter of interpretation. They simply said mutually exclusive things at different times.
One example is the topic of who Lee Kuan Yew reportedly gave the instructions to change his last will. At first they claimed (including through a statement involving Lee Wei Ling) that he communicated with Lee Suet Fern – but later she admitted it Lee Hsien Yang who reportedly spoke to his father and only relayed instructions to her.
There's more, about the authorship of the text that was sent to LKY, about who actually had access to it, about why it differed from what they claimed and told LKY, about the changes to the clauses in it and so on – but this is not the place to expound on it.
The point is – the highest disciplinary court found that they weren't truthful in their statements, which they changed in the course of the proceedings making them incompatible with what they said before.
Since giving false evidence under oath is a crime, there was only one thing for SPF to do: initiate investigations. Could Lee Hsien Yang have been surprised? Still, if he maintains to have been wrongly accused of anything, a trial is the way to clear his name.
But if he felt the need to pack his bags and leave, what exactly was he afraid of?
Now that he refuses to return, even for the funeral of his supposedly "dear" sister, it's hard to understand what it is that would objectively prevent him to do so.
If the suggestion is that he's somehow unfairly targeted by his elder brother, wouldn't that have already manifested itself in more visible ways?
- If he was persecuted, he wouldn't be allowed to simply sell his properties and leave the country with millions in the bank.
- If he was persecuted, police wouldn't accept his request to schedule the interview at a suitable date, that he and his wife agreed to in the first place.
- If his passport was to be seized, it would have been seized.
- If he was to be arrested, he would have been arrested at that time. But he wasn't, just like Pritam Singh wasn't, despite facing similar charges, with a trial that starts in 2 days.
Not to mention, again, that both he and his wife were merely being interviewed, not charged yet.
Instead, on June 13, 2022 he confirmed to the police that they would be available to speak with SPF next month - and yet by June 15 (2 days later) they left the country. Clearly, it was all a calculated lie.
So, why did he leave and why isn't he coming back?
Simply because it's his last chance to stay relevant. Since his wife is a lawyer they both must have concluded that their case is lost, given the heft of evidence against them and the fact that it was essentially confirmed by the apex judicial body of the country for the legal profession.
It's hard to imagine how they would be able to defend themselves from a criminal conviction after they were found untruthful by a panel consisting of the nation's Chief Justice, Judge of Appeal and a third senior judge of the Supreme Court.
Once investigations began, it was only a matter of time that charges were brought against them and they would have to stand trial that they were all but certain to lose. That would effectively end their standing in the country and could even put them behind bars for a while.
The only thing to do was pack their things, sell their properties and pretend to be dissidents in exile fighting an oppressive regime ran by a power-hungry, vindictive old brother.
From the comfort of the UK Lee Hsien Yang can continue to enjoy a good life and influence on the opposition to the PAP, trying to undermine Lee Hsien Loong, causing the government as much damage as possible by periodically reminding the nation of the infamous family feud.
He may also be hoping that his work helps to topple the PAP and maybe even allow him to return if he is treated more leniently when someone else is in charge or should an opposition figure win the presidency, opening a possibility of a pardon even if he gets convicted.
He was reportedly considering a run for the highest office himself - what would instantly solve all his problems if he won.
Mr Lee told Bloomberg over the phone: “There is a view that depending on who they float, if I were to run, they would be in serious trouble and could lose. [...] A lot of people have come to me. They really want me to run. It is something I would consider.”
However, he most certainly wouldn't qualify given the unresolved case, as criteria for eligibility for presidency require the candidate to be a "person of integrity". Surely someone facing conviction for perjury wouldn't deserve the label.
It is quite ironic, then – though perhaps a sign of karma – that his best chance at escaping responsibility and getting back at Lee Hsien Loong was rendered impossible by the strict laws made by his very own father.
