A day after Dr Lee Wei Ling’s death, her younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, has drawn the public eye to the future of their family home. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Lee Hsien Yang conveyed a message from his late sister, emphasizing their father’s unequivocal wish for their house at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished following the death of the last parent.
Quoting Lee Hsien Yang’s Facebook post, “My father’s, Lee Kuan Yew, and my mother’s, Kwa Geok Choo, unwavering and deeply felt wish was for their house at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished upon the last parent’s death. Lee Kuan Yew had directed each of his three children to ensure that their parents’ wish for demolition be fulfilled. He had also appealed directly to the people of Singapore. Please honour my father by honouring his wish for his home to be demolished.”
The perpetuation of the debate surrounding the fate of 38 Oxley Road stems from the long-standing conflict between Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang, and their elder brother, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The family home has been a subject of contention, with a previous joint statement from Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang in December 2015, indicating their agreement to donate half the value of the property to the charities named in their father’s obituary notice.
However, the brothers’ discord resurfaced in June 2017 when Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang expressed feeling threatened in their efforts to fulfill their late father’s wish to demolish the house. They also accused their elder brother, the then-prime minister, of opposing the wish on the grounds that the preservation of the house would enhance his political capital.
Lee Hsien Loong responded to these allegations in Parliament, and a ministerial committee subsequently released a report in 2018, presenting three options for the house — preservation, partial retention, or demolition. At that time, the committee stated that no decision was imminent, emphasizing that “Dr Lee is likely to continue residing there for the foreseeable future.” Following the report, Lee Hsien Loong expressed hope that it would assist the government in making an informed decision that respects their father’s wishes and is in the public interest.
The passing of Dr Lee Wei Ling has brought this longstanding matter back into the spotlight, serving as a catalyst for renewed public discourse and ensuring that the wishes of their late parents with regard to 38 Oxley Road are at the forefront once again.
