The ongoing conflict between the three children of the late Lee Kuan Yew has just taken a new turn, with Lee Hsien Yang showing no signs of halting his attacks, even as his older brother PM Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday he would address any and all queries MPs might have in a July 3 Parliament sitting.

On Wednesday morning (June 21), Lee Hsien Yang drew attention to an email dated October 3, 2011, sent by the LKY, to Hsien Loong's wife, Ho Ching, with his three children copied in it.

The screenshot of the email, with Hsien Yang's and Wei Ling's email addresses redacted, reads:

"Subject: RE: Architect

Message classification: Unclassified

Yes.

But Loong as PM has indicated that he will declare it a heritage site. That will put an end to any rebuilding."

Here's the image Hsien Yang uploaded to his public Facebook page:

Hsien Yang added in comments to the screenshot:

"LHL was copied in this email, and did not reply. LHL could have objected to this statement, but did not."

He goes on, pointing out again a quote from a letter dated July 23, 2015, sent to him by PM Lee's then-personal lawyer Lucien Wong:

"It is not correct that our client ever informed Mr Lee Kuan Yew, or anyone else, that the House at 38 Oxley Road ("the House") was to be gazetted by the government as a national monument... the government had (and has) not made any decision on what, if anything, should be done with the house."

Not the first time this email was mentioned

Now, here's something to note — if any of you read the siblings' initial six-page statement carefully, you might've recalled that they did mention their father writing this down before.

Here's the relevant extract from their Google Drive document:

Lee Kuan Yew believed that Hsien Loong and Ho Ching were behind what was represented to the family as a government initiative to preserve the house. In due course, Hsien Loong himself made his position clear to Lee Kuan Yew. On 3 October 2011, Lee Kuan Yew wrote: “Loong as PM has indicated that he will declare it a heritage site.”

Now, Hsien Yang has produced evidence that their father did indeed say the above.

However, this brings us to another point here:

Heritage/historical site ≠ National Monument

It's important to note that Wong, PM Lee's then-personal lawyer, used the words "gazetted by the government as a national monument". This is completely different from what LKY wrote, which is "declare it as a heritage site".

According to the National Heritage Board, a "historical (or heritage) site" is the land upon which a thing of historical significance used to stand on. The building does not need to remain, even if the land is commemorated as one.

In other words, if PM Lee told LKY that 38 Oxley Road might become a heritage site, it does not mean the house needs to remain on the plot of land as-is.

However, the term Wong used is "national monument". This is different. A "national monument" is a physical building or structure that must remain intact, because of its historical significance. Some examples are listed here.

So technically, Wong is not contradicting LKY's email in saying that PM Lee did not tell LKY that the house would be gazetted as a national monument.

It's all in the wording.

Screenshots from Prime Minister's Office, Singapore YouTube channel

Keep on keepin' up with the Lees here:

Top image from here.

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