Singapore was rocked by the feud that erupted between members of the Lee family and the burning question on everyone's mind is: Will 38 Oxley Road be preserved or demolished?

If you have been following the spate of events, a ministerial committee has been set up to consider the different fates options available for the house, while factoring in Lee Kuan Yew’s (LKY) wish for it to be demolished.

These options include demolishing the above-ground section of the house while preserving the basement. According to DPM Teo,

"The Committee has also been studying various intermediate options such as demolishing the House but keeping the basement dining room where many important historical meetings took place, with an appropriate heritage centre attached. These studies are ongoing."

Before we turn to the intermediate options, let's consider both sides of the debate -- for and against -- the preservation of the house -- and yes we mean preservation, not conservation here:

Demolish it! -- Tanya

LKY's final will stated that he wanted the house to be demolished, and if did continue to stand, it should not be opened to others, except his family and their descendants.

This is the full clause in the will:

“I further declare that it is my wish, and the wish of my late wife, KWA GEOK CHOO, that our house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 (“the House”) be demolished immediately after my death or, if my daughter, Wei Ling, would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out. If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the law, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants. My view on this has been made public before and remains unchanged. My statement of wishes in this paragraph 7 may be publicly disclosed notwithstanding that the rest of my Will is private.”

However, while LKY’s will is a legally binding arrangement within the Lee family, it does not supersede Singapore’s laws on preservation. Decisions regarding preservation and the demolition of buildings require the approval of the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Urban Redevelopment Board (URA).

Now, if we don't consider LKY's will, what other reasons do we have for demolishing the house?

We can begin by questioning why 38 Oxley Road should be preserved.

If it is to commemorate the place as a site of immense historical significance, why not simply declare it as a heritage site?

According to an email shared by Lee Hsien Yang, this was one of PM Lee Hsien Loong's suggestions. For heritage sites, what is important is the land upon which a thing of historical significance used to stand on. The physical building does not need to remain.

If the idea behind the preservation of the house is to commemorate LKY's sacrifices and the ideals that he lived by and fought for, it appears that one can do so even without the house.

The legacy that LKY left behind is not limited to tangible structures and buildings, but more importantly, the intangible values and principles such as social harmony, meritocracy, and self-reliance. An appropriate tribute to him is to build on this legacy - not through monuments, but through a commitment to these values.

Remember Ozymandias, the Egyptian Pharaoh whose physical monuments and legacy decayed into oblivion.

Preserve the house! -- Joshua

While Singaporeans generally understand LKY's reasons for wanting his house to be demolished, we also need to acknowledge that one man's wish cannot override the chronicling of Singapore's history.

As pointed out by SMU's Associate Professor Margaret Chan, Singapore's tangible heritage belongs to all Singaporeans, 'extending beyond the lifetimes of individuals'.

Critics who call for the demolition of the house toss about LKY's phrase "Remember Ozymandias" without understanding its context -- that we preserve 38 Oxley Road for its place in our nation's story, not as an altar to worship LKY.

There's no doubt that 38 Oxley Road witnessed Singapore's history. Besides being the birth place of the People's Action Party (PAP), the house was also its headquarters and the basement was a hotbed of political activity when the PAP decided to run in the 1955 elections.

Its significance in the Singapore story demands that the place be preserved for the nation's commemoration and for posterity's sake.

One only has to look to another preserved house - the former Sun Yat Sen Villa (known today as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall), a national monument which was preserved for reasons far less invested in Singapore than 38 Oxley Road.

Apart from its role in Singapore politics, 38 Oxley Road is a symbol of what some might say are the values of a bygone era. Much has been said about the frugality of Singapore's first-generation leaders - a value clearly illustrated in the sparse yet functional furnishings of the late Lee Kuan Yew's (LKY) house. It is for this reason that merely preserving one-third of the house isn't a good enough option.

Conclusion?

Should 38 Oxley Road be demolished or preserved? The jury is still out.

But the arguments for and against demolition have been laid out here.

In considering this issue further, we should also ask ourselves these questions:

- Should the house be preserved as a monument (the full house? or just the basement?), or demolished but declared as a heritage site?

- What does Singapore's heritage entail, and how far should we go in protecting its tangible and intangible parts?

- To what extent should our heritage be protected?

- What are the processes and considerations behind gazetting a piece of our history as a heritage site or a national monument?

These are important questions that must be answered if we take our history seriously.

Keep up with the Lees and 38 Oxley Road here:

Top image is a scale model of 38 Oxley Road on display at the National Museum of Singapore in We Built A Nation, an exhibition that explores the first decade of Singapore's independence. Image by Tan Guan Zhen.

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