Singapore to designate Lee Kuan Yew’s former home as national monument

Singapore plans to make the former home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew a national monument, despite his stated wish for it to be demolished.

The single-storey bungalow, located in central Singapore and built in 1898, was home to Lee Kuan Yew until his death in 2015. It hosted key political discussions during the 1950s, as Singapore moved from British rule to self-governance and eventual independence.

A joint statement by the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Land Authority on Monday said an advisory panel had found the site to be of “national significance, with great historic merit, and worthy of preservation”.

The government said it would convert the site into a public space, such as a heritage park, if it was preserved and acquired. However, it stressed that this did not mean all buildings or features would be retained.

“Regardless of the option 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,” the statement said.

Lee had repeatedly expressed a wish for the house to be torn down, including in his will. He said in a 2011 interview with the Straits Times that it would “become a shambles” if opened to the public and argued its demolition could raise land values in the area.

The fate of the Oxley Road property has long been a point of contention among Lee’s children. His eldest son, former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, has said the decision should rest with the government. His siblings, Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang, pushed for the house’s demolition in accordance with their father’s wishes.

A ministerial committee in 2018 recommended delaying any final decision while Lee Wei Ling continued to live in the house. Following her death last year, Lee Hsien Yang applied for its demolition.

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