Did Government Communication Chief condemn Cabinet Ministers as “small minded” people?

Lee Wei Ling has just published a new Facebook post this morning (30 Jun).

In it, she revealed that PM Lee had made statutory declaration stating that during a Cabinet meeting on 21 Jul 2011, the ministers were all expressing “strong views” against demolishing her father’s house at Oxley Road.

“I told Mr Lee (KY) that I felt that Cabinet was unlikely to agree to demolish the House after he died,” PM Lee declared. “Mr Lee took a number of steps which put beyond any doubt that he came to accept Cabinet’s position.”

But an email message from the Chief of Govt Communications, Janadas Devan, to Wei Ling 7 days later (28 Jul 2011, 10:21pm) shows otherwise. In the email, Janadas Devan said that he had seen LKY earlier on the same day.

“Saw MM (Lee) today (28 Jul 2011). First meeting on Oxley book, together with team. He was in good form,” Mr Devan said. “He said house will be torn down. It is obvious that is what he wants.”

“It will be a small minded people that denies him this personal wish. I think he’s wrong wishing it, but I’d feel awful denying him what he obviously wants,“ added Mr Devan.

We can draw a few conclusions from Mr Devan’s email:

1. Wei Ling’s father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, had not accepted the Cabinet’s position as what PM Lee has declared in his statutory declaration. Mr Lee Kuan Yew continued to maintain that his house at Oxley Road “will be torn down”.

2. Mr Devan was not alone in meeting Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He had his team with him. His team should be able to also ascertain what Mr Lee Kuan Yew had said.

3. Mr Devan is of the view that people who denied Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to tear down the house are “small minded people”, which would of course include our Cabinet Ministers, who are against demolishing the house.

4. Mr Devan himself also did not want to deny Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to tear down his house after his death. That is to say, he doesn’t want to become a “small minded people”.

Source: WWMGFTR