Government intends to gazette 38 Oxley Road site as national monument, issues notice to Lee Hsien Yang
If acquired, government will respect Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and remove all traces of private living spaces from the buildings, NHB and SLA say
[SINGAPORE] The government intends to gazette the former residence of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as a national monument “for possible use as a heritage park”, the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said on Monday (Nov 3).
In a joint statement, the authorities said NHB has given the owner and occupier of 38 Oxley Road written notice of this intention.
The property is owned by a company called 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd. The company is understood to be owned by Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son Lee Hsien Yang and the latter’s second son Li Huanwu.
The notice of intention states the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo’s intention to make a Preservation Order.
“The site bore witness to discussions and pivotal decisions that shaped the course of Singapore’s history to become an independent nation,” Neo said in the statement.
“The intention to gazette the site as a national monument recognises its historic significance and national importance. This will preserve a key part of our independence journey for future generations.”
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This comes after NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board has assessed the site to be of “historic significance and national importance and worthy of preservation as a national monument”.
If a Preservation Order is made, the government intends to acquire the site to safeguard it and “preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance”.
The owner will be given a “reasonable period” to submit any objections, the joint statement said. The period is understood to be 14 days and any objection has to be submitted in writing.
It added that Neo will consider every objection before making a final decision on whether to make the Preservation Order.
If the Preservation Order is made, the government will commence the acquisition process in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1966.
In determining the compensation amount, the SLA will take into account the market value of the site. It is expected to appoint a professional private valuer for the assessment.
Possible heritage park
If the government acquires the site, it will turn the site into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park, the statement said.
This means the site cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.
“Preserving the site does not obligate the government to preserve all the buildings and structures on the site in their current state,” said the statement.
It added that the government will consider all options and intends to make a decision “well within this term of government”. These options include those proposed by a ministerial committee on 38 Oxley Road in 2018.
“Regardless of the options taken, the government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and will remove all traces of Mr Lee’s and his family’s private living spaces from the buildings,” it added.
Historical significance
NHB launched a formal assessment of the site on Oct 24 last year, three days after Lee Hsien Yang submitted a demolition application for the building at 38 Oxley Road.
Lee Hsien Yang had made the submission following the death of his sister Lee Wei Ling the same month. She had continued living in the house after Lee Kuan Yew’s death on Mar 23, 2015.
At that time, NHB said it would study the site to assess if it has “national historical, heritage and architectural significance as to be worthy of preservation”.
It noted Lee Hsien Yang’s application, but added that “making such a move now will rule out a proper and full consideration” of options other than demolition.
Family feud turns public
A family feud surrounding 38 Oxley Road was thrust into a rare public display in June 2017, after Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang made public statements about losing trust and confidence in Lee Hsien Loong – who was then the prime minister – as a brother and as a leader.
Lee Kuan Yew had left the house to Lee Hsien Loong upon his death. It was part of his estate, which had been divided equally among the three children.
His will included a demolition clause, where he declared his and his wife Kwa Geok Choo’s wish that the house be demolished immediately after his death, or if his daughter would prefer to continue living there, immediately after she moved out.
“If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the laws, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants,” the clause said.
In the public statements, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang alleged that Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching had opposed Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to demolish the house and accused them of wanting to “milk Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy for their own political purposes”.
They also revealed that a ministerial committee had been set up to consider options with respect to 38 Oxley Road, which “directly contradicted” Lee Hsien Loong’s statement in Parliament in April 2015.
In a statement, then-deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean, who chaired the committee, said “there should be no need to disagree on studying the options for the time when a decision needs to be made”.
He added that Lee Hsien Yang may have a misconception that the committee is “bent on preventing the demolition of the house”, which is not true.
The following month, Lee Hsien Loong delivered a ministerial statement on alleged abuse of power on 38 Oxley Road and refuted their claims. He said he had recused himself from all government decisions related to the property and had placed Teo in charge of the matter.
He added that he learned that his siblings were unhappy that he was getting the house and thought the best way to resolve the matter was to transfer the house to them.
While an offer to transfer the house to Lee Wei Ling for a nominal sum of S$1 failed, he reached an agreement with Lee Hsien Yang to sell the house at fair market value with a further donation to charity.
Ministerial committee lay out options
In April 2018, the ministerial committee laid out a range of options for 38 Oxley Road, including preservation, demolition and redevelopment.
The committee noted that Lee Kuan Yew’s preference was for the property to be demolished.
It added: “However, he was also prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to ensure that: (i) the Property was refurbished, and kept in a habitable state; and (ii) the family’s privacy was protected.”
Teo said the committee did not make any recommendation as no decision was required then, leaving it to a future government to make the decision.
In response to media queries on Monday, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s press secretary said: “SM Lee has recused himself from the matter since 2017. He has no comment to add.”
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