Ho Ching apologises for Facebook post that ‘could be misunderstood’

SINGAPORE — Madam Ho Ching, Temasek Holdings' chief executive officer and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife, has apologised for sharing on social media a photo that got many netizens talking on Sunday (April 10), saying that she had reposted it without realising that it would not contain a caption, and thus could be misunderstood.

The photo, which depicts a monkey showing a rude gesture to a photographer in Japan, was widely shared on Twitter and Facebook over the weekend. One of the many media outlets which posted the photo on Twitter was China's People's Daily, which tweeted the photo on Saturday morning with the text: "Back off man! Angry monkey flashed middle finger to photographer when interrupted during his morning bath in #Japan."

Madam Ho shared the photo on her Facebook page on Sunday, but deleted it hours later.

The photo, which was posted amid revelations that PM Lee and his sister Dr Lee Wei Ling differed over how to commemorate the death of their father, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, sparked considerable online discussion about whether a family feud had worsened.

On Monday, Madam Ho responded to the online controversy by apologising for sharing the photo and noted that it could have been "misunderstood".

She wrote on Facebook: "Peace, folks, and embarrassed apologies from this Twitter newbie. Had been playing around with Twitter yesterday, trying out different buttons, seeing what can or cannot be done.

"Discovered Twitter reposts pictures without captions, and unfortunately one of the pictures could be misunderstood on its own. Took down as soon as a friend alerted me."

Without elaborating on what she was referring to, she also called for cooler heads to prevail. "There are enough troubles in the world. Far from adding oil to fires, I would prefer we try to solve and resolve problems, among friends, within families and between neighbours," wrote Madam Ho.

On Sunday, Dr Lee released on Facebook, and later deleted, a series of email exchanges with editors of The Straits Times where she took issues with the newspaper's handling of a column she had written for the one-year death anniversary of her father. She was critical of what she viewed as "hero worship of the late Mr Lee during the anniversary.

In one of the emails, she accused PM Lee of having “no qualms” about holding commemorative events to establish a dynasty, adding: “But if the power (sic) that be wants to establish a dynasty, LKY’s daughter will not allow LKY’s name to be sullied by a dishonorable son.”

PM Lee refuted his sister's allegations on Sunday, saying he was "deeply saddened" by her claims and that they were "completely untrue".

“The first anniversary of a person’s passing is a significant moment to remember him and reflect on what he meant to us. The more so with Mr Lee Kuan Yew,” wrote PM Lee on his Facebook page. “The idea that I should wish to establish a dynasty makes even less sense. Meritocracy is a fundamental value of our society, and neither I, the PAP, nor the Singapore public would tolerate any such attempt.”

More than 100 events, from tree-planting activities to multiple remembrance sites and family carnivals, were organised by individuals and community groups to mark the late Mr Lee’s first death anniversary on March 23.

Mr Lee said the Cabinet had discussed how to mark the occasion. “My advice was that we should leave it to ground-up efforts. Groups should keep their observances in proportion, and focussed on the future,” he said.

Recognising the “strong desire” of many Singaporeans to show their respect for Mr Lee, the Cabinet had reviewed the events and observances that different groups had planned, and agreed that they were generally appropriate. “They expressed the sincerely felt sentiments of Singaporeans, which my Cabinet colleagues and I deeply appreciate,” said Mr Lee.

Madam Ho did not name Dr Lee or PM Lee in her Facebook post, but noted: "We grieve in different ways, and should leave space for each of us to come to terms with our loss. Grieving is especially hard when tears come at unexpected moments.

"I respect and deeply appreciate the many heartfelt commemorations, and understand those who prefer a more stoic approach. Hopefully, the passage of time will help heal."

Dr Lee’s disagreement with The Straits Times became public early this month when she wrote on Facebook that the newspaper had decided not to publish her commentary expressing disapproval over the commemorative events for her father’s death, and had denied her freedom of speech. This was followed by posts in which Dr Lee, a long-time contributor to The Straits Times, claimed the paper’s editors edited out “sensitive issues” in her pieces.

In response, the newspaper published an editor’s note last Tuesday (April 5), calling her accusations unfounded. This was followed by an opinion piece by the newspaper’s Associate Editor Ivan Fernandez on Saturday (April 9), stating that the paper could not publish the final draft of her column unedited because some portions were allegedly plagiarised. 

On the same day, Dr Lee rebutted this, noting in the emails sent to her by Mr Fernandez, none mentioned plagiarism as an issue, and questioned whether “the powers that be” has instructed him to criticise her. 

The next day, Dr Lee published their email exchanges in full.