Why is the Lee family burdening Singaporeans with their family feud?

The Year of the Pig will likely herald more turbulent times for the Lee family.

With the two children of late Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling very much back in the fray, with the upcoming contempt of court proceedings against LKY’s blue-eyed grandson, Li Shengwu and the latest revelation that his mother, Lee Suet Fern may also be dragged into the picture, what else can we expect but turmoil and unrest for the year ahead?

There are four factors that make this an undue and unnecessary burden and distraction.

One: The LKY factor. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his father wouldn’t have wanted things to pan out the way they did. So why drag it on? No one is doing more than the Lee family itself to tarnish and betray the legacy of Lee Kuan Yew. If Big Brother, as leader of the country, does not want to let it go, what are the implications and repercussions?

Two: Family over country. PM Lee can leave things to his lawyers and the courts but can he possibly also outsource the emotional and psychological scars? Running a country is a big enough task. Having to cope with the distraction of a family feud only makes it even more formidable. Is that fair to Singaporeans?

Three: A saga the neighbours lap up as a soap opera. Already Hong Kong media has gone to town with its reporting and analysis of what is happening. A Lee family in tatters is seen as a microcosm of a Singapore that is on shaky ground. Our neighbours, whether friends or foes, will milk it and lap it up for what it’s worth.

Four: Sowing division among Singaporeans. Who’s in the right, who’s in the wrong, who’s vindictive, who’s the schemer? This is one issue that compels Singaporeans to take sides – there is disagreement among family members, friends and colleagues. This places unnecessary burden on the people. If Lee Hsien Yang decides to enter politics, lo and behold, it’s a whole new ballgame and Singaporeans will be further divided. There’s also swirling speculation that as predicted by Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling but denied by PM Lee, his son Li Hongyi will be thrust into politics. If that should happen, the soap opera will turn into a Shakespearean drama.

If no family is bigger than Singapore, why is one family sucking up all the oxygen and placing undue and unnecessary burden on the country and its people?