Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong had wanted to the home of the late former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to be kept for national heritage purposes, but said that he respected Mr Lee wish to demolish it. Instead, he suggested that a Founder’s Memorial Park should be built instead.
Mr Goh made the remarks on his Facebook page, following calls by various Members of Parliament for the government to build memorials in Mr Lee’s honour or to name significant landmarks, such as Changi Airport, after him.
His thoughts run counter to current ideas mooted by his fellow MPs, which include naming a public holiday for Singapore’s founding fathers.
This was what Mr Goh wrote:
“I, too, thought we should preserve Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s house as a national heritage. But he was totally against it and had his wish recorded in Cabinet. He could not be persuaded. He was a rational man. PM Lee explained Mr Lee’s thinking in Parliament yesterday, one which I was familiar with. I think the idea of a Founders Memorial Park to mark the making of a nation, it’s trials and tribulations, is more meaningful… Let us contribute our ideas to this concept.”