Singapore PM says sorry for family feud

Singapore, June 19

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong apologised to Singaporeans today for a bitter family feud over his late father’s legacy, saying it had damaged the country’s reputation.

Lee and two younger children of revered founding leader Lee Kuan Yew have been attacking each other on Facebook and international media for days as a dispute over the patriarch’s estate became public, a spectacle that has shocked Singaporeans.

“I deeply regret that this dispute has affected Singapore’s reputation and Singaporeans’ confidence in the government,” Lee said in a statement he read in a pre-taped video aired by national broadcaster Mediacorp. “As your Prime Minister, I apologise to you for this.

“And as the eldest of the siblings, it grieves me to think of the anguish that this would have caused our parents if they were still alive.” — AFP