Lee Hsien Yang announces application to demolish 38 Oxley Road house

Lee Hsien Yang announced that he is applying to demolish the family home at 38 Oxley Road.

This comes after the daughter of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Wei Ling, passed away at home on Oct. 9.

Lee Hsien Yang made a Facebook post on Oct. 9 in which he conveyed a statement from Lee Wei Ling, addressing 38 Oxley Road and appealing for its demolition, that he had been tasked with doing so upon her passing.

In his new Facebook post on Oct. 15, Lee Hsien Yang said this would be done "to honour [his] parents' last wishes". He did not specify where he would be filing this application.

Lee Hsien Yang added that he plans to build a small private dwelling on the site that will be held within the family in perpetuity.

"That day is today"

Lee Hsien Yang said that he is the "sole legal owner of 38 Oxley Road" and, after his sister's death, the only living executor of Lee Kuan Yew's estate.

In his Facebook post, he attached a photo of Lee Kuan Yew's will and also referred to a statement made by his brother, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in parliament in 2015 that when Lee Wei Ling passed, it would be "up to the Government of the day" to decide if the demolition is allowed.

"It has been nine years. That day is today," he concluded.

38 Oxley Road dispute

The dispute of 38 Oxley Road has been an ongoing issue.

In April 2015, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling quoted Lee Kuan Yew's last will and testament and appealed for 38 Oxley Road's demolition.

On Jun. 12, 2017, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang issued a second statement on Facebook detailing allegations against Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong, who was then the prime minister, and revealing that a ministerial committee had been convened to consider options for 38 Oxley Road.

SM Lee denied the allegations two days later on Jun. 14, the Straits Times reported at the time.

On Jun. 15, through his lawyers, SM Lee also issued a statutory declaration raising concerns about the way Lee Kuan Yew's last will was made.

After detailing the circumstances surrounding the signing of the last will, the statement on Jun. 15 concluded as follows:

"Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang claim that Mr Lee was not prepared to consider any option other than the demolition of the House. For that they rely heavily on the insertion of the Demolition Clause in the Last Will.

In light of the troubling circumstances set out above, I believe it is necessary to go beyond the Last Will in order to establish what Mr Lee Kuan Yew's thinking and wishes were in relation to the House."

SM Lee subsequently delivered a ministerial statement on "alleged abuse of power on 38 Oxley Road" at the Parliamentary Sitting on July, 3 2017.

He refuted allegations by his siblings that he had misused his power in handling the matter, explained how he had sought to keep his private interests and public duties separate, and addressed questions about why he was not taking legal action.

Ministerial committee report

On Jun. 1, 2016, a ministerial committee was set up to consider various options for 38 Oxley Road.

It looked at the heritage value and historical significance of the property, possible development options, Lee Kuan Yew's wishes and the views of SM Lee, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling on the matter.

In 2018, a report by the ministerial committee concluded that while Lee Kuan Yew's preference was for 38 Oxley Road to be demolished, he was also prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided certain conditions:

"The Committee recognises that there are differences in views among the Parties about Mr Lee’s thinking and wishes about the Property. Having looked at the objective evidence and the views expressed by the Parties, the Committee’s view is that:

(1) Mr Lee’s preference was for the Property to be demolished.

(2) Mr Lee was also aware that the Cabinet and others, including senior journalists, were opposed to demolition given the Property’s historical and heritage value as well as their reading of public sentiments.

In view of this, Mr Lee had further reflected on the matter and was prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to ensure that: (i) the Property was refurbished, and kept in a habitable state; and (ii) the family’s privacy was protected. "

Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang have since issued statements disputing the ministerial committee's findings.

Lee Hsien Yang responded to the report's claims that Lee Kuan Yew had considered the preservation of 38 Oxley Road, calling them "misleading", and citing the following clauses from Lee Kuan Yew's last will, which made the following points:

• He wants his children to demolish the house as soon as Wei Ling moves out.
• If his children are unable to do so, "as a result of any changes in the law", he wanted the house to "never be opened to others except (his) children, their families and descendants".

Lee Wei Ling said in a Facebook post on Apr. 18, 2018 that her father and mother wanted the house demolished after they were gone.

Lee Suet Fern found guilty of improper conduct

In February 2020, a Disciplinary Tribunal found lawyer Lee Suet Fern, the wife of Lee Hsien Yang, guilty of grossly improper professional conduct in the handling of the last will of Lee Kuan Yew.

The tribunal said that Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Suet Fern had "misled" Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Suet Fern was subsequently suspended for 15 months.

Lee Hsien Yang had previously denied that Lee Suet Fern was ever Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer. He claimed back on Jun. 16, 2017 that Kwa Kim Li had handled the last will, though Kwa denied this, according to ST.

Kwa had handled the previous six wills of Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Wei Ling disagreed with the tribunal's report in a Facebook post on Feb. 23, 2020, saying she felt her father "knew full well what he was doing".

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Top photo via Mothership & Lim Wei Xiang