PAP govt's move to gazette 38 Oxley Rd site tramples on Lee Kuan Yew's wish: Lee Hsien Yang

The government's plan to gazette and preserve the 38 Oxley Road site "tramples on Lee Kuan Yew's unwavering wish", his son, Lee Hsien Yang, said in a Facebook post late on Nov. 3.

The younger Lee reiterated that his father had wanted the family home demolished in its entirety.

He added that Lee Kuan Yew had been opposed to monuments.

"The PAP disrespects Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy and values by choosing to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a monument," he said.

National monument

The National Heritage Board (NHB) had earlier that day announced a plan to gazette the 38 Oxley Road site as a national monument.

They assessed it to be of national significance and great historic merit, mainly due to the political events it witnessed in the 1950s that led to Singapore's independence and the formation of the PAP.

Gazetting the site means that NHB intends to acquire the property, preserve and subsequently convert it into a public space.

But the owner may submit his objections to NHB for consideration, after which the Acting Minister may decide whether or not to proceed with the preservation.

Shortly after the plan was announced, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said through his press secretary that he had no comment on the matter as he had recused himself since 2017.

The will

Following the founding PM's death, a tense conflict gradually unfolded among his three children.

While the immediate aftermath of his death saw the siblings maintaining a united front, Lee Hsien Yang and his sister, the late Lee Wei Ling, later accused their brother of misrepresenting their father for political gain.

They claimed that SM Lee and Ho Ching opposed their father’s wish to demolish his house, as its preservation would “enhance his political capital”.

In response, SM Lee shared a five-page statement raising "serious questions" about how Lee Kuan Yew's final will had been prepared.

It was the only one prepared among his seven wills that had been prepared by Lee Hsien Yang's wife, Lee Suet Fern, instead of Lee Kuan Yew's lawyer Kwa Kim Li.

After the 2015 General Election, Lee Hsien Yang and Lee Wei Ling agreed to a proposal to buy the house from their elder brother at market value.

Both brothers would then donate an equivalent to half that value to charity. In the meantime, Lee Wei Ling would continue living in the house for as long as she wished.

Lee Hsien Yang and his wife subsequently left Singapore while under police investigation for potential offences relating to Lee Kuan Yew's will.

Top image from Lee Hsien Yang/Facebook