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Any minister accused of improper conduct must clear his name publicly: PM
In a written parliamentary reply to Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament Chen Show Mao, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday that if it is a serious allegation, he would expect the Minister to take court action for defamation, “unless there are other special considerations”. Photo: Reuters
PUBLISHED: 8:54 PM, AUGUST 1, 2017
UPDATED: 11:21 PM, AUGUST 1, 2017
SINGAPORE — Any minister accused of improper conduct must clear his name publicly and “should not allow the allegations to fester and affect the reputation of the Government”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Aug 1).
In a written parliamentary reply to Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament Chen Show Mao, PM Lee explained that if the allegation is serious, he would expect the minister to take court action for defamation, “unless there are other special considerations”.
PM Lee added: “He may also need to render account in Parliament, particularly if the matter concerns his discharge of public duties and is of public interest. These are not mutually exclusive options. In all cases, there must be public accounting.”
Mr Chen had asked PM Lee about the circumstances in which a minister or political appointee should defend his reputation in his official capacity in the courts, or refrain from such court action and address allegations publicly, such as in Parliament.
In response, PM Lee noted that he had addressed this issue in his Ministerial Statement on July 3.
The statement was delivered in response to allegations by his siblings Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, who accused PM Lee of abusing his power in a bid to stop them from carrying out their late father’s will to demolish their family home at 38 Oxley Road.
In the statement, PM Lee said he would certainly sue for defamation in “any other imaginable circumstance”.
However, if he took his siblings to court, it would “further besmirch” their parents’ names, and drag out the process for years, creating further “distraction and distress” to Singaporeans.
Adding that he took advice and considered his options very carefully, PM Lee had said: “I believe I have a strong case... (But) at the end of the day, we are brothers and sister, and we are all our parents’ children. Therefore, fighting this out in court cannot be my preferred choice.”
PM Lee also said he made the statement to account to MPs and Singaporeans, “and to deal with the issue expeditiously” so that the public “can understand what it is all about and we can put the matter to rest, I hope, once and for all”.
In a written parliamentary reply to Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament Chen Show Mao, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday that if it is a serious allegation, he would expect the Minister to take court action for defamation, “unless there are other special considerations”. Photo: Reuters
PUBLISHED: 8:54 PM, AUGUST 1, 2017
UPDATED: 11:21 PM, AUGUST 1, 2017
SINGAPORE — Any minister accused of improper conduct must clear his name publicly and “should not allow the allegations to fester and affect the reputation of the Government”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Aug 1).
In a written parliamentary reply to Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament Chen Show Mao, PM Lee explained that if the allegation is serious, he would expect the minister to take court action for defamation, “unless there are other special considerations”.
PM Lee added: “He may also need to render account in Parliament, particularly if the matter concerns his discharge of public duties and is of public interest. These are not mutually exclusive options. In all cases, there must be public accounting.”
Mr Chen had asked PM Lee about the circumstances in which a minister or political appointee should defend his reputation in his official capacity in the courts, or refrain from such court action and address allegations publicly, such as in Parliament.
In response, PM Lee noted that he had addressed this issue in his Ministerial Statement on July 3.
The statement was delivered in response to allegations by his siblings Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, who accused PM Lee of abusing his power in a bid to stop them from carrying out their late father’s will to demolish their family home at 38 Oxley Road.
In the statement, PM Lee said he would certainly sue for defamation in “any other imaginable circumstance”.
However, if he took his siblings to court, it would “further besmirch” their parents’ names, and drag out the process for years, creating further “distraction and distress” to Singaporeans.
Adding that he took advice and considered his options very carefully, PM Lee had said: “I believe I have a strong case... (But) at the end of the day, we are brothers and sister, and we are all our parents’ children. Therefore, fighting this out in court cannot be my preferred choice.”
PM Lee also said he made the statement to account to MPs and Singaporeans, “and to deal with the issue expeditiously” so that the public “can understand what it is all about and we can put the matter to rest, I hope, once and for all”.
