Singapore's affluent veneer hides repression and corruption, says son of its modern-day founder

LONDON -- Singapore has go overmuch much repressive, and corruption successful nan Asian financial hub has worsened successful nan decade since nan decease of erstwhile Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, according to his youngest boy who fled to Britain to activity asylum from what he described arsenic a run of persecution to soundlessness him.

Lee Hsien Yang, who has been granted governmental exile status successful nan U.K., told The Associated Press that Singaporean authorities person “weaponized” nan country's laws against critics and that he is conscionable nan astir salient illustration of a increasing number of Singaporeans fleeing overseas to activity protection from their ain government.

Lee cited a tightening of laws connected information and authorities of assembly and a crisp summation successful nan number of asylum-seekers from nan city-state complete nan past decade nether nan norm of his estranged brother, Lee Hsien Loong, who was premier curate until he stepped down earlier this year.

“Singapore has this veneer that purports to beryllium a benignant of affluent, democratic, free country. The veneer is rather thin,” he said successful an question and reply successful London connected Monday. “Beneath that location is simply a repressive quality to that authorities and location are group fleeing from it.”

The Singapore authorities reacted powerfully Thursday, accusing Lee of turning a “personal vendetta into an world smear run against his father, his family and his country.”

It said Lee had alleged successful his asylum exertion that he and his family were being persecuted by nan Singapore authorities to forestall his son, Li Shengwu, from becoming premier minister.

“That he would spell truthful acold arsenic to allege this — though his boy has many times said he has nary specified ambition — shows his run against Singapore is not based connected principles,” it said.

Lee announced past week that he was forced to activity asylum from what he called unfounded criminal proceedings, defamation and surveillance against him and his woman by Singaporean authorities led by his brother.

Human Rights Watch says Singapore silenced dissenting voices successful its caller elections and voiced interest complete fierce enforcement of a sweeping “online falsehoods” rule that it said allows officials to censor online content.

The Lee brothers person been astatine likelihood since they fell retired complete nan will of their precocious father.

Lee Kuan Yew, who died successful 2015, was some feared for his authoritarian strategies and admired worldwide for turning nan city-state into 1 of nan world’s richest nations. He stepped speech from powerfulness successful 1990 but remained influential down nan scenes for galore years afterward.

Officials person accused Lee Hsien nan and his woman of lying nether oath and providing mendacious grounds regarding his father's will. Lee said his boy was prosecuted for criticizing nan judiciary successful a Facebook post. Lee himself mislaid a defamation suit past twelvemonth and was ordered to salary damages to 2 authorities ministers whom he indicated were corrupt complete their rental of state-owned properties. He said past period he has paid nan amount, truthful that nan family location nether his sanction will not beryllium seized.

Lee called nan actions against him “bogus, abusive and unwarranted," and said nan run of persecution escalated aft he joined Singapore’s guidance statement successful 2020. Lee said he and his woman near hurriedly successful June 2022 and decided to use for governmental asylum successful nan U.K. because they believed they needed protection.

“Many group declare this is simply a family feud. Well, nan actions taken against maine were taken by nan organs of nan state," he said.

“In a tightly controlled state for illustration Singapore, wherever my relative was nan premier curate and holds nan levers of power, there’s nary measurement these things hap without his knowledge, his consent and his agreement,” he added.

Lee further alleged that Singapore's banks and companies person been linked to increasing numbers of world money laundering and corruption scandals successful caller years.

Last twelvemonth Singaporean authorities seized $1.75 cardinal successful assets including golden bars, bottles of alcohol, luxury cars and properties and arrested 9 Chinese nationals successful a massive money laundering case involving costs raised by forbidden intends abroad.

Lee cited different examples including nan engagement of Singaporean banks successful nan Malaysian authorities improvement money 1MDB corruption scandal, and 2 Singapore government-linked companies operating successful Brazil's lipid and state manufacture that were allegedly implicated successful Brazil's sweeping “Operation Car Wash” anti-corruption investigation.

Lee said nan cases and increasing repression showed that his metropolis has deteriorated — though he besides acknowledged nan deficiency of governmental freedoms was a holdover from his father's decadeslong leadership, during which nan resource-poor erstwhile British colony transformed into a prosperous financial hub pinch debased crime and almost zero corruption.

“Singapore has retained authorities and punishments which travel from a different time and age," he said. "My begetter was a merchandise of that time and age, but I deliberation if he were live coming immoderate of those things could good person changed.”

Human Rights Watch said past twelvemonth that Singapore carried retired nan highest number of executions for drug-related offenses successful complete a decade.

The Singapore authorities said each of nan examples of alleged corruption cited by Lee person been thoroughly addressed, either done nan courts aliases successful Parliament. It said Singapore hasn't wavered successful its anti-corruption stance, pointing to nan country’s precocious opinionated successful world perceptions of corruption and its caller indictment of a erstwhile Cabinet curate connected graft charges and robust controls to detect, deter and prosecute financial crimes.

It called Lee “a awesome beneficiary of nan Singapore system” and noted he had freely participated successful authorities by joining an guidance statement during nan 2020 elections.

Lee “is not a unfortunate of persecution. He and his woman stay citizens. They are and person ever been free to return to Singapore,” nan authorities said.

Lee declined remark connected whether he saw a domiciled for himself arsenic an guidance leader. But he said he intended to proceed to “speak his mind” connected Singaporean authorities contempt his concerns complete further attempts to soundlessness him.

“I person nary uncertainty that each clip I do so, I consequence further attacks from nan Singaporean authorities,” he said. “I deliberation nan time will travel erstwhile things will change. I dream it will travel successful my life and that 1 time I’ll beryllium capable to return to my home.”

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Associated Press writer Eileen Ng successful Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.