Edwin Tong: Demolishing 38 Oxley Road now would “straightaway rule out options”

SINGAPORE: Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong has stated that allowing Mr Lee Hsien Yang to proceed with immediate demolition works at 38 Oxley Road would “straightaway rule out options which can be considered.” In a Facebook post on 24 October, Mr Tong emphasised that “we do not think that any option should be precluded, or closed off, at this stage.” Mr Lee, the younger son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, is the current owner of 38 Oxley Road and applied to the authorities on 21 October for permission to demolish the house. To carry out the demolition, he requires approval for building works from the Building and Construction Authority, as well as planning permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Acknowledging the recent discussions surrounding the house following the passing of Dr Lee Wei Ling, Mr Tong noted, “There is, quite understandably, a range of different views amongst Singaporeans on the matter.” Dr Lee, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter, passed away on 9 October at the age of 69, leaving the house uninhabited. Mr Lee Kuan Yew began renting the one-storey bungalow in the mid-1940s, purchased it in 1965, and lived there until his death in 2015. Mr Tong encouraged Singaporeans to approach the matter with an open mind and to keep options open, stating, “The passage of time will help us better appreciate the matter in its proper context, with the benefit of some hindsight.”

National Heritage Board to study 38 Oxley Road preservation despite Lee Hsien Yang’s demolition request

On the same day, the National Heritage Board (NHB) announced it would conduct a study of the site to determine whether it “has national historical, heritage, and architectural significance as to be worthy of preservation” as a national monument. Mr Tong added, “If a Preservation Order is made, all options will remain open, and this will give the Government time to consider the different options identified in the ministerial committee report, or any other option.” A preservation order designates a building or site as a national monument, restricting any alterations that can be made to it. Mr Tong, who also serves as Second Minister for Law, stated that the study will be conducted by NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which comprises experts from various sectors. “They will carefully assess the merits, if any, of such preservation, and make their professional recommendations,” he explained.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang emphasises commitment to honour father’s wishes for demolition post Dr Lee Wei Ling's departure

In a statement on 15 October, Mr Lee Hsien Yang reiterated his father’s long-standing wish for the house to be demolished after Dr Lee Wei Ling vacated it. “To honour my parents’ last wishes, I am applying to demolish the house at 38 Oxley Road and thereafter to build a small private dwelling, to be held within the family in perpetuity,” he stated, stressing his duty as the sole living executor of his father’s estate to fulfil Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Having recently been granted asylum in the UK, Lee Hsien Yang also recalled that in 2015, his elder brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, mentioned in Parliament that once Dr Lee Wei Ling no longer lived in the house, “it would be up to the government of the day” to decide on the matter of demolition. “It has been nine years. That day is today,” said Lee Hsien Yang, asserting that the time has come for the government to make a decision.