I refer to the article “Oxley Road: Full transcript of ministerial statement by DPM Teo Chee Hean” (Straits Times, Jul 3).

It states that “The Ministerial Committee wrote to all Mr Lee’s children on 27 July 2016, shortly after the Committee was formed, to invite them to share with the Committee, any views they would like on Mr Lee’s thinking on the property, and the context and circumstances relating to his thinking beyond what had already been stated in public, so that these could be taken into account. Indeed, it is only natural that the committee should ask the siblings for their views.

The siblings wrote to us, providing differing views, including on the drafting of the last Will. We then provided each party two opportunities to comment on the views of the other party. Indeed, the fact that the Committee received differing views showed how essential it was that we had sought the views of the siblings on Mr Lee’s wishes and thinking.”

Since a primary task of the ministerial committee was to understand “Mr Lee’s thinking on the property” and “including on the drafting of the last Will”, and so many people have said so much about the drafting of the Will, etc – why is it that based on the available information todate – it would appear that there has been no detailed communication with any of the lawyers involved in the drafting of the Will and those who gave advice to Mr Lee Kuan Yew?

Wouldn’t the lawyers be a very important element to the above, and “only natural” (to borrow the committee’s words) to ask them?

As an analogy – if there are questions about a Will – wouldn’t the “natural” and obvious thing to do – is to also talk to the lawyers who gave advice or drafted the Will, and not just to talk to the deceased’s children who are the beneficiaries and executors?

Leong Sze Hian