SINGAPORE: In a social media post early on Tuesday morning (Oct 15), Lee Hsien Yang, the younger son of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and brother of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, announced that he would apply to obtain permission from the authorities to demolish his father’s home at 38 Oxley Road.
The residence had also been the home of Mr Lee’s sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, until her passing on Wednesday (Oct 9). Mr Lee said he was submitting the application to demolish the house to honour his parent’s last wishes.
He added he also planned to build a small private home on the lot, which he intended to be held within the family in perpetuity.
He also wrote in his Facebook post that he is the sole legal owner of the property, and since the death of Dr Lee, he is the only living executor of their father’s estate.
Mr Lee added his father had expressed in his will that he wished the house would be demolished “immediately after” Dr Lee moved out.
“It is my duty to carry out his wishes to the fullest extent of the law.
Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament in 2015 that when Wei Ling passed, it would be up to ‘the Government of the day’ to decide whether to allow demolition. It has been nine years. That day is today,” added Mr Lee.
He and Dr Lee had been the administrators and executors of Lee Kuan Yew’s will.
The two siblings issued a statement via a public Facebook post on June 14, 2017, alleging that their older brother, who was then Prime Minister, wanted to preserve the house, which opposed their father’s wishes.
They added that this would benefit SM Lee politically. The dispute between the siblings made the news across the globe. SM Lee denied the allegations and made a ministerial statement on the matter on July 3, 2017.
A committee headed by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean was convened regarding the future of 38 Oxley Road.
It included Lawrence Wong, now the Prime Minister of Singapore, Law Minister K Shanmugam and then-Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu.
Mr Teo said that the committee would not make recommendations at the time as Dr Lee was still residing at the home, but it did offer three options for the property’s future.
For it to be gazetted and preserved as a national monument, or for the home to be demolished but retain the dining room where the founding members of the People’s Action Party had met, or for the house to be completely demolished and redeveloped for other uses. /TISG