38 Oxley Road – Everyone else’s 2 cents

By: Obbana Rajah

With so many revisions to the late Lee’s will, we can only guess what his real intentions were. This issue has gripped our headlines and we have some two cent’s view on how we can go about this.

The ministerial committee came up with three choices as to what might be done with the late Mr Lee’s bungalow.

They are as follows:

1. Retain the property
2. Retain the dining room and tear down the rest of the property
3. Allow the property to be demolished fully, and allow redevelopment

Likewise, members of the public have also not held back with their thoughts and opinions. They range from sad to satirical and go from being out rightly insensitive to possibly emoting more than the Lee children might.

Many seem to express the opinion that the last wishes of Lee Kuan Yew should be fulfilled.

RicHard Goh said, “Poor LKY. He did so much for Singapore and yet his last wish cannot be granted, due to some personal interest. So sad that things turned out this way. Will LKY not rest in peace?”

Netizen Derrick Wong echoes a similar sentiment, “Learn LKY’s approach to life, his service to the community, and how he managed the relationship with the international communities. The house is just an attachment which does not deliver his principles”.

Some felt that the house stood for a legacy and that it should be preserved for future generations.

Cheng Tl Leonard asked a pertinent question, “Why are highly paid servants of the Nation spending so much time and energy on a private matter?? Let the family resolve this among themselves”.

Journalist Bertha Henson posted on her Facebook wall, “So LKY’ personal will shouldn’t over ride the interest of the State. That’s true. And I am sure he knows it too. So there is a reason that he made the demolition clause PUBLIC so that the PUBLIC will know his sentiments. If he doesn’t care about the house either way, he needn’t have publicised it at all. Seems to me he’s reaching to the public for support rather than just leave it to the State”.

Local writer Alfian Sa’at offered his take on what should be done with the house

Facebook user Visakanv sarcastically added, “I used to think we should demolish 38 Oxley Road, but increasingly I’m starting to see the humour in Singapore choosing to disrespect LKY’s final wishes”.

When it comes to the house, there seems to be three distinct camps of people, the first, who feel that they house should be demolished according to Mr Lee’s wishes, the second, who would like for the house to be preserved as a reminder, and the third who are simply in it just to add their own two cents.

https://theindependent.sg.sg/siblings-says-they-have-no-confidence-in-the-prime-minister/