Singapore's First Family Is Having a Massive Facebook Fight Right Now

A very public family feud between Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings over the future of their father's historic home is causing some citizens of the "Little Red Dot" to blush red with embarrassment.

Lee Hsiang Yang and Lee Wei Ling, the prime minister's younger siblings, posted a link to a six-page statement on Facebook that railed against PM Lee's efforts to turn their father's old home into a national monument. Their father, Lee Kuan Yew, allegedly asked his children to demolish his home on Oxley Road upon his death, according to a copy of his will cited in the statement.

But PM Lee reportedly wants to preserve the modest bungalow-style home instead. The house has significant historical value in the young city-state. It was where the founding members of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) held their earliest meetings. And it's where PM Lee was born and raised. Yet, Lee Kuan Yew had repeatedly expressed distaste at the idea of declaring the house a site of national importance, the statement read.

"Throughout his entire life, Lee Kuan Yew's sole focus was on Singapore and its future," read the statement, which was signed by the two younger Lee siblings. "He was a strong opponent of monuments, particularly of himself."

The siblings accused their older brother of using their father's name for his own gain and of harboring political ambitions for his son. The two also said they feared for their own safety, writing: "We feel hugely uncomfortable and closely monitored in our own country. We do not trust Hsien Loong as a brother or as a leader. We have lost confidence in him."

PM Lee posted his own statement on Facebook apologizing to the Singaporean people for any embarrassment the family feud might have caused.

"And as the eldest of the siblings, it grieves me to think of the anguish that this would have caused our parents if they were still alive," the prime minister said, adding that Singaporeans had been "disturbed and confused by news of the private dispute between my siblings and me."

But while PM Lee said that he recused himself from the decision and promised transparency in the matter, his younger brother has accused him of setting up a "secret committee" of ministers to decide the home's future.

The Lion City's tiny opposition Workers Party weighed in on the Facebook fight on Wednesday asking whether Singapore's reputation was being harmed by the public airing of the Lee family's private arguments.

"We are only concerned with the allegations of abuse of power and the harm these have caused to confidence in Singapore and our political institutions," the party wrote.

And in Singapore, the feud continues to grab headlines because of how uncommon the whole thing is. Open and public criticism of PM Lee or his family is rare in the city-state. The Lee family has sued major foreign media companies for merely mentioning some of the allegations laid out by his younger siblings online. The city-state also routinely polices what its citizens can say and do, punishing bloggers and critics and limiting public displays of dissent, according to Human Rights Watch.

"No one else would have the capacity to challenge [Prime Minister] Lee and survive," Michael Barr, an associate professor of international relations at Australia's Flinders University, told the Bangkok-based Asia Times.

It's proven equal parts embarrassing and intriguing for Singaporeans. The city-state has been under one party rule since its founding, a fact that makes political squabbles like this a complete rarity.

It's enough for one blogger to dub the whole thing House of Cards: Oxley Road.