Lee Hsien Yang conveys statement by Lee Wei Ling appealing for demolition of 38 Oxley Road

Lee Hsien Yang made a Facebook post on Oct. 9, 2024, in which he conveyed a statement from his late sister, Lee Wei Ling.

He said he’d been tasked to do so upon her passing.

The statement addressed their family home at 38 Oxley Road, and appealed for its demolition.

According to Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Wei Ling also wanted a "simple private send off".

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

38 Oxley Road

Lee Hsien Yang wrote in the post that Lee Wei Ling directed him to convey the following statement on 38 Oxley Road:

"My father's, Lee Kuan Yew, and my mother's, Kwa Geok Choo, unwavering and deeply felt wish was for their house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 to be demolished upon the last parent's death.

Lee Kuan Yew had directed each of his three children to ensure that their parents' wish for demolition be fulfilled. He had also appealed directly to the people of Singapore. Please honour my father by honouring his wish for his home to be demolished."

In a statement issued back 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.

According to their April 2015 statement, Lee Kuan Yew wished for the house to be demolished either after his death, or after Lee Wei Ling had moved out:

"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."

Dispute

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, as well as 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:

"Papa was as direct as me. He made absolutely clear what he wanted done with the house. He and Mama had long decided they wanted it demolished after they were gone. It would require unbelievable lack of intelligence or determined denial to not understand what Pa & Ma so unambiguously wanted. It seems to me my big brother & his committee have achieved that distinction with amazing ease."

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”.

Simple private send-off

in his Facebook post on Oct. 10, 2024, Lee Hsien Yang wrote, with regard to Lee Wei Ling's funeral and wake:

"We ask that the media respect her wishes and not come to the wake or to the private funeral.

Wei Ling believed in treating people equally. Respects can be paid on a strict queue basis for everyone. There will be no exceptions, not even for VIPs."

Lee Wei Ling's wake will be held at the Pearl and Saphire Hall of the Singapore Casket from Oct. 10 (Thursday) to Oct. 12 (Saturday).

Lee Hsien Yang had previously shared that he would not be returning to Singapore to attend Lee Wei Ling's wake and funeral.

Instead, he would be "organising the funeral remotely" in accordance with her wishes, and his second son, Li Huanwu, would be assisting him from Singapore.

Top photo from Mothership