A death and a funeral: Missed Opportunity for Reconciliation

When Dr Lee Wei Ling passed away on 9 Oct, Lee Hsien Yang told the press that he would not be returning to Singapore for the funeral, and would be organising it remotely with the help of his son, Huanwu. Lee Hsien Yang also made it clear that he would not let their elder brother – Lee Hsien Loong – and other relatives be involved.

According to a Malaysian newspaper, a source “who declined to be named said Hsien Loong is not invited to Wei Ling’s funeral.” And apparently, based on accounts of people who had gone to the funeral earlier today, the montage that is being played in the funeral hall does not contain any photos of Lee Hsien Loong at all.

Lee Hsien Yang said that everyone must queue up to pay respects. “There will be no exceptions, not even for VIPs.” It is quite clear who Lee Hsien Yang was referring to. He added that these arrangements were all in accordance to his late sister’s final wishes.

But it is hard to believe that Dr Lee Wei Ling would have wanted even her own family members to queue up to pay respects – including the late Dr Lee Wei Ling’s other nieces and nephews, cousins and even her elderly uncle Mr Lee Suan Yew who is now in his 90s. Especially when it is well-known that Dr Lee Wei Ling had placed her family above anything else all her life. Apart from Lee Hsien Yang and his immediate family members, do Dr Lee Wei Ling’s other relatives not have the right to be involved in the funeral preparations and mourning, too?

Dr. Lee Wei Ling would have likely recognised that it would have hurt her parents, Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo, if her extended family were treated as outsiders at her funeral. Given her strong sense of filial duty, she would be unlikely to allow such a situation. As a proud Hakka woman, Dr Lee Wei Ling would have recognised that the Chinese value respect for the deceased above all, and that past grievances are usually set aside even if only for the time being. An opportunity for reconciliation, even if temporary

It would have been unlikely for her to make such cold, calculated moves for her own funeral. Those who had known her personally would know this.

Of course, we are now expected to simply take Lee Hsien Yang’s word for it. Except that he does not exactly enjoy a stellar track record of being honest, given the questions over his and his wife’s – Lim Suet Fern – roles in the handling of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s final will. And of course, his now-famous comment of how there is no need to be accurate when making statements if they are not sworn ones. A certain pattern of behavior emerges.

Moreover, Dr Lee Wei Ling has not even been laid to rest. Yet, Lee Hsien Yang and his new found friends have started to call for the demolition and sale of 38 Oxley Road. Friends such as Lim Tean and Kenneth Jeyaretnam, whom his father – Mr Lee Kuan Yew – would have disapproved, to put it mildly. A disrespectful act to the deceased and those who are mourning her.

Can we be truly certain that Dr Lee Wei Ling’s final wishes align with what has been presented? Or is Lee Hsien Yang simply using her death and funeral arrangements as a means to retaliate against their older brother?

We may never know, but these are questions worth pondering for a discerning
mind.