When a dispute arose between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings over their family home at 38 Oxley Road, PM Lee handled the matter in a principled manner, by distinguishing between his personal affairs and the country’s interests, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
“I’ve known him for a very long time. And he was able to separate the personal from what is right for the country. And so he recused himself. He asked me to oversee the matter,” said SM Teo in a recent interview with the media.
He added that, throughout the years, PM Lee had remained steadfast in the way he behaves and deals with issues.
“PM was very clear. He’s not going to be involved in the decision; he recused himself. So he was very able to separate the personal from what is in the interest of the country and the responsibilities. So we dealt with it as objectively as possible.”
However, SM Teo said he was “quite saddened” by the change in PM Lee’s brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, whom he had worked closely with in the military and had known for a long time.
“We worked in the armed forces in the joint staff. When he left the (Singapore) Armed Forces, I encouraged him to stay to contribute to Singapore. He’s a very able man. But what I can say is... I was quite saddened to see the change in Hsien Yang,” he added, without further elaboration.
“I’ve known him for a very long time. And he was able to separate the personal from what is right for the country. And so he recused himself. He asked me to oversee the matter,” said SM Teo in a recent interview with the media.
He added that, throughout the years, PM Lee had remained steadfast in the way he behaves and deals with issues.
“PM was very clear. He’s not going to be involved in the decision; he recused himself. So he was very able to separate the personal from what is in the interest of the country and the responsibilities. So we dealt with it as objectively as possible.”
However, SM Teo said he was “quite saddened” by the change in PM Lee’s brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, whom he had worked closely with in the military and had known for a long time.
“We worked in the armed forces in the joint staff. When he left the (Singapore) Armed Forces, I encouraged him to stay to contribute to Singapore. He’s a very able man. But what I can say is... I was quite saddened to see the change in Hsien Yang,” he added, without further elaboration.
