The younger siblings of Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, have launched a scathing personal and political attack on him, saying they have lost confidence in him as a leader and accusing their “big brother omnipresent” of abusing his power.

Lee Wei Ling and her brother Lee Hsien Yang said in a public statement released in the early hours of Wednesday that they were “disturbed by the character, conduct, motives and leadership” of the premier and his wife. Their criticism appeared to focus on a dispute over the fate of the family home, the influence of the first lady on government, and allegations that the prime minister had unannounced political ambitions for his son. “We feel extremely sad that we are pushed to this position,” they wrote. “We have seen a completely different face to our brother, one that deeply troubles us.”Lee Hsien Loong later said he was “deeply saddened by the unfortunate allegations”.(guardian)…[+]