Sunday (Apr 10) was a sad day for the Lee family.

A private family disagreement spilled onto the public domain after Dr Lee Wei Ling (LWL) shared a Facebook post where she called Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a "dishonorable son" and alleged that he abused his power to have "a commemoration just one year after Lee Kuan Yew died."

This prompted PM Lee to respond by saying that he was saddened by the accusation, adding that LWL's claims were "completely untrue".

To the layperson, they may wonder why PM Lee even decided to respond - given that LWL's post which accused him of "abusing his power" was not reported by the mainstream media (they did so after PM Lee issued his response) and was taken down a few hours after being posted.

One would wonder whether his response would instead cast the public and media spotlight on this family disagreement.

Anyway, here is why we think he had to respond even if he might have amplified this issue:

1. LWL's post contained serious allegations

LWL accused PM Lee of abusing his power to commemorate Lee Kuan Yew's one-year death anniversary in order to establish a dynasty. And the fact that it came from PM's sister added considerable weight behind the accusation.

PM Lee could of course ignore the serious allegations of "abusing his power".

But this would run counter to the government's determination that Singapore political leaders have to "continue to uphold the highest levels of professionalism and integrity" and their insistence that such accusations should not go unchallenged.

Her sister's accusation of trying to "establish a dynasty" also run counter to Singapore's much cherished value of meritocracy, something that PM Lee mentioned.

2. PM Lee has to demonstrate although LHL is the son of LKY, LHL is also the PM who has to listen to the electorate and Cabinet.

The crux of the issue is that LKY, the founding father and Prime Minister of Singapore, does not belong to LWL and the Lee family alone.

LHL has an unenviable role - he has to balance between the will of the people and his own family's wishes.

As revealed from his FB post, PM Lee is sensitive enough to offer advice that the Cabinet "should leave it to ground-up efforts", with groups keeping their observances in proportion, and focusing on the future.

It would be rather undemocratic for PM Lee to ignore the advice of his Cabinet and overrule them, for the Cabinet "recognised the strong desire of many Singaporeans to show their respect for Mr Lee, and honour what he did for us".

Of course, how Singaporeans choose to remember LKY is highly subjective.

Although PM Lee revealed that the government "reviewed the events and observances that different groups had planned, and agreed that they were generally appropriate", a few of the over 100 events to commemorate LKY may be over the top.

Some Singaporeans would agree with LWL that the art installation of 4,877 erasers is one example (see below) that is over the top.

This was exacerbated by the frontpage coverage by The Straits Times.

One issue to consider was whether the Lee family (such as LWL or Lee Hsien Yang) was invited or included in the review of the events and observances that different groups had planned.

Their inclusion might help to offer more balance to this sensitive issue.

3. He has to keep the international community informed in case they only get one side of the story.

Just imagine if among the innumerable international media outlets just one or two picked up LWL's post sans PM Lee's response - and how many would follow suit after that.

That would be quite problematic for Singapore's image overall if only her side of the story is amplified.

By removing her post a few hours later, LWL is wise enough to appreciate the consequences and damages to Singapore and PM's image.

Fortunately for Singapore, many major international news outlets which did pick up on this issue did so with PM Lee's response (click on the images to access their websites):

Reuters

The Guardian (using Associated Press' report)

Xinhua

Associated Press (story carried by news sites like, The Guardian, Yahoo! and Daily Mail)

Sydney Morning Herald

Unfortunately, there is already some damage, for even the international media was surprised by the disagreements between PM Lee and his sister.

Here were some of the words used in these international publications: "An unprecedented family feud" (Sydney Morning Herald), "A spat...has blown into the open" (Reuters), "A rare and unexpected family feud" (AP and The Guardian)

LWL, as a Straits Times contributor, had written several commentaries on her love for Singapore and being a die-hard Singaporean.

"They (LWL's nuclear family and friends) are the main reason why I feel this place is home and why it is worth fighting for if the need should arise...I am a Chinese Singaporean - with the stress on the noun." Lee Wei Ling, A Hakka woman's Singapore Stories (2016)

Let's hope LWL will consider the impact of her words on Singapore's reputation and PM Lee before she posts again on Facebook.

Top photo from Lee Hsien Loong Facebook

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