Plans for 38 Oxley Road site will protect Lee family's privacy: David Neo

The government will keep all options open about how to treat the property at 38 Oxley Road if it acquires and preserves it, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said in Parliament on Nov. 6.

He noted that the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew preferred for the house to be demolished, and that Lee's wife Kwa Geok Choo wished for the family's living spaces to remain private.

The government will respect the wish to protect the family's privacy, regardless of the option taken, Neo said.

All traces of their private living spaces would be removed from the interior of the house.

"Under no circumstance will the interior of the house as Mr Lee and Mdm Kwa knew, be displayed or recorded or remodelled or duplicated elsewhere," Neo emphasised.

Historical significance

The National Heritage Board (NHB) announced on Nov. 3 that it will preserve the site of the former residence of Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Road as a national monument.

Lee had lived and worked in the property from 1950 till his death in 2015.

It also bore witness to significant political events from 1953, including a series of meetings between Lee and other Singapore founding fathers in the basement dining room.

"As a young nation, we need to retain this unique site, for it bears witness to the birth of independent Singapore, and to key moments in our history," Neo explained.

He added that preserving the site will help to avoid a potential situation where private parties attempt to purchase 38 Oxley Road in future just to have an address that is associated with Lee Kuan Yew's residence.

Assessing the buildings and structures

If the authorities acquire the site, they will conduct an assessment to decide how to proceed with the preservation, and conclude the plans well within this term of government.

In the interim of the assessment, there will be no public access to 38 Oxley Road.

The government's thinking is to develop the site into a public space, such as a heritage park, so that Singaporeans can have access to it, Neo said.

It will also consider partial or full demolition of the buildings and structures, based on factors such as their existing condition, and weigh the potential benefit of retaining them against the cost.

Neo underscored that the government is opting to preserve the site rather than the specific buildings and structures.

The relevant authorities have not had the chance to evaluate the conditions of the buildings and structures, and will only be able to do so after gaining access to the site.

A solution that unites

The treatment of the property has been an issue of contention after Lee Kuan Yew's passing in 2015.

Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of Lee Kuan Yew, previously said he was the sole owner of the property.

The night of NHB's announcement on Nov. 3, Lee Hsien Yang slammed the move in a Facebook post, saying that the government chose to "trample on Lee Kuan Yew’s unwavering wish to demolish his private house".

"Lee Kuan Yew was opposed to monuments," he emphasised.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, former prime minister and Lee Kuan Yew's oldest son, has recused himself from all government decisions on the house and site.

NHB has served the notice of its intention to the property's owner, who has been given two weeks until Nov. 17, to submit any objections for consideration.

If there are any objections, Neo will then consider them and decide whether or not to proceed with the preservation.

If he decides to do so, a preservation order will be issued for the government to acquire the site and safeguard it as a place of national value.

Neo asserted that in preserving the site, the government is not memorialising any single leader.

"We are safeguarding the grounds where future generations can stand — to understand where we came from, who we are, and what we overcame together," he said.

He added that the government will keep an open mind as to the treatment of the buildings and structures within the site.

"We will keep all options open, and strive for a solution that will unite us as a country, rather than allow this to become a point of contention or division in our society."

Highlighting that the government has taken "the most responsible approach" for 38 Oxley Road, Neo said it will make an informed and considered decision on the matter "in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans, now and for the future".

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