Lee Hsien Yang creating ‘false urgency’ to demolish house: S’pore govt

The Singapore government has responded to Lee Hsien Yang's recent remarks on Facebook about the demolition of the Lee family home at 38 Oxley Road.

In a statement shared on Oct. 25, a Singapore Government spokesperson from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said that he is "trying to create a false urgency" by pushing for the demolition.

The government is currently keeping options open on whether to demolish or preserve all or part of the property.

This is to give time for current and future generations of Singaporeans to decide.

The response comes after Lee called upon Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong to make a decision on the demolition in a Facebook post on Oct. 25.

Lee Kuan Yew’s letter to the Cabinet

A letter by the late former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to the Cabinet on Dec. 27, 2011 indicated that he had "reflected" and decided that the property should be "refurbished" and have "its foundations reinforced" should it be "preserved".

This is after he mentioned that the Cabinet members were unanimous that 38 Oxley Road should not be demolished as he wanted.

He also added that the home should be "let out" to other people to live in, as an empty building "will soon decline and decay".

"The decision on 38 Oxley Road is your responsibility": Lee Hsien Yang to PM Wong

In his post, Lee said the decision on the home's demolition is the "responsibility" of PM Wong.

He highlighted how Lee Kuan Yew's will had incorporated his wish for the house to be demolished "immediately after" his late daughter Lee Wei Ling was "not there".

"The time for that decision is now," Lee wrote.

He added that PM Wong had been the Minister-in-charge when the furniture and artefacts from the home were "gifted and exhibited" at the National Museum of Singapore.

He also highlighted that at the exhibition in 2015, PM Wong had stated: "Honour not just one man, but our founding generation of leaders, and aim to be faithful to the ideals and values that our leaders lived by and fought for."

Lee added that PM Wong was also on the Ministerial Committee from 2016 to 2018, which "took many hours of ministers’ time" to consider options for the home.

As such, he said that the responsibility is PM Wong's as he has had "nine years to consider".

"Further delay would trample on the last wishes of Lee Kuan Yew, whom you claim to honour. Please lead," Lee wrote at the end of his post.

Government responds

In response to Lee, the spokesperson said that he "knows that what he says is inaccurate".

"Lee is however trying to create a false urgency by pushing for the immediate demolition of the Property," the spokesperson added.

Commenting on Lee Kuan Yew's letter, the spokesperson said that his views were "quite clear" and that his preference was for it to be demolished.

However, he had acknowledged that the property may be preserved.

Hence, the late Lee Kuan Yew submitted renovation and redevelopment plans for the property, and obtained approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in March 2012.

"All of this is set out in the Report of the Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road published in April 2018," the spokesperson said.

They also highlighted Lee's involvement with his wife Lee Suet Fern on lying under oath over misleading his father and presenting “an elaborate edifice of lies” pertaining to his will.

"The Government on the other hand is trying to keep options open (including demolition or preservation of all or part of the Property) and give time for current and future generations of Singaporeans to decide," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson added that the government should keep options open and consider them carefully, taking into account the late Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes, the historical value of the site and its meaning for current and future generations of Singaporeans.

Top photos via Google Maps & Lee Hsien Yang/Facebook