SINGAPORE — Giving his unequivocal backing to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Tuesday (July 4) called for a “clear conclusion” at the end of the two-day parliamentary debate on the Oxley Road dispute.

Members of Parliament (MPs) must either clear PM Lee of the allegations on abuse of power, or censure him, he said.

Mr Goh, who was Singapore’s Prime Minister from 1990 to 2004, also slammed PM Lee’s accusers, in particular Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Mrs Lee Suet Fern, for seeking to damage PM Lee’s standing. 

“I have kept my ears open. From what Lee Hsien Yang and his wife are freely telling many people, it is clear that their goal is to bring Lee Hsien Loong down as PM, regardless of the huge collateral damage suffered by the Government and Singaporeans,” he said.

Without elaborating, Mr Goh said the real motive behind the spat over 38 Oxley Road is “neither money nor the house”. “The dispute ... is only a fig leaf for the deep cracks within the family, cracks which perhaps started decades ago. What then is the agenda of PM’s accusers?” Mr Goh said. 

He added: “It is now no more a cynical parlour game. If the Lee siblings choose to squander the good name and legacy of Lee Kuan Yew, and tear their relationship apart, it is tragic, but a private family affair. But if in the process of their self-destruction, they destroy Singapore too, that is a public affair ... We cannot, and will not, allow ourselves to be manipulated as pawns.”

Mr Goh made clear that he was not going to address the fate of 38 Oxley Road or the family feud, but the “wilful attack on the integrity of our leaders and the insidious erosion of public faith in our institutions”. 

“Incorruptibility of our Government is what distinguishes Singapore. The Prime Minister is central in upholding that incorruptibility. When trust in the Prime Minister disappears, his moral authority and political capital shrivel,” he said.

Mr Goh reaffirmed his “full confidence in the integrity of the Prime Minister”. “I have known and worked closely with (PM Lee) for more than 30 years. I brought him into politics in 1984, and I should add, it was not at Lee Kuan Yew’s behest. He was my Deputy Prime Minister for 14 years. He has been Prime Minister for some 13 years,” he said.

In fact, Mr Goh pointed out that the episode revealed PM Lee’s “political sensitivity and integrity”, having given the proceeds from the sale of the house away to counter any accusations of profit. 

The former Prime Minister also gave his full backing to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, and was convinced that he “acted independently” as chairman of the Ministerial Committee tasked to look into the options for 38 Oxley Road. Adding that he continues to keep a close watch on government matters, Mr Goh said he has met Mr Teo in June last year to understand his thinking on the options for the house. 

In order for the Government to move on — a call which was made by Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang — Mr Goh urged the Opposition party as well as the Nominated Members of Parliament to state their position on the matter. “After so much has been said by both sides and the Government, it is clear that the allegations are baseless,” Mr Goh said. 

He also called out WP MP Png Eng Huat for reading out quotes from 

Dr Lee Wei Ling’s and Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s Facebook posts, as “akin to spreading rumour”. 

“As an Honourable Member of Parliament, (Mr Png) should state his position on what he has read. That is what we are elected as MPs for. In 1996, at the end of the debate, Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong stated their positions unambiguously,” said Mr Goh.

He was referring to the episode in 1996 when Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Lee Hsien Loong  — who were Senior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister respectively at the time — were investigated, following widespread market rumours that they had bought units in developments by property giant HPL with exceptional discounts. A probe started by Mr Goh, who was Prime Minister then, cleared all parties of any wrongdoings.

Mr Low pointed out on Tuesday that the HPL saga was different from the current situation. For one, neither Mr Lee Kuan Yew nor Mr Lee Hsien Loong was head of the Government in 1996. Also, back then, it was simply a market rumour and HPL managing director Ong Beng Seng had issued a public statement to clear the air, Mr Low noted. 

“This episode, there’s no investigation done, it’s ownself defend ownself in Parliament,” Mr Low said. “For me personally, I’ll not be convinced until the entire allegation is given a conclusive airing.” 

Mr Low also questioned if the Government was practising “double standards”, given that PM Lee has opted against suing his siblings in order not to further besmirch his family’s name. Mr Goh said he still believes that a Minister “has to sue” if an allegation is made against him without basis. However, he understood the dilemma that PM Lee was in. 

Still, Mr Low pointed out that Mr Goh — as the Prime Minister then — had sued then-WP candidate Tan Liang Hong for making a defamatory police report in 1997. “Does this not also show that blood is thicker than water? Own siblings cannot sue, after all, we all brother and sister. But political opponents and critics sue until your pants drop,” Mr Low said. 

In response, Mr Goh said he had expected Mr Low’s remarks. “This is what you call political sophistry. As for Tan Liang Hong, he’s not my brother,” Mr Goh said.