Public urges government to respect Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to demolish 38 Oxley Road

SINGAPORE: Reddit users and Straits Times Forum contributor has urged the Government to respect the late Lee Kuan Yew’s stated wish for his house at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished, arguing that honouring this would be the “greatest tribute” to him.

In a letter published on 6 November, contributor George Ong Yong Tze expressed concern over the Government’s intention to gazette the property as a national monument.

Ong wrote that while preserving the site could help future generations appreciate its role in Singapore’s political history, it was “equally important – if not more – that we demonstrate respect” by not preserving it.

He noted that Lee’s contributions were already extensively documented, and turning his former home into a monument would be unlikely to add meaningfully to his legacy.

What remained “clear and uncontested”, he said, was Lee’s firm wish for the house to be demolished and for no monuments to be created in his honour.

Honouring this wish, he added, would reflect Singapore’s values of respect, humility, and principled leadership. Ignoring it, he warned, could send the wrong signal to present and future generations.

“There are times when just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Maybe this is such a time,” he concluded.

Government Intends to Gazette 38 Oxley Road as a National Monument

On 3 November, the National Heritage Board (NHB) announced its intention to gazette 38 Oxley Road as a national monument.

The NHB said the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board had assessed the house to be of “historic significance and national importance”.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo accepted the recommendation and confirmed the Government’s plan to proceed.

If a preservation order is issued, the Government will acquire the property to safeguard and conserve it.

The single-storey 19th-century bungalow, which served as Lee Kuan Yew’s residence from the mid-1940s until his death in 2015, was also an early meeting place for the People’s Action Party (PAP) and a venue for formative political discussions.

Long-Running Family Dispute

The future of the house has long been a point of contention among Lee’s three children: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Hsien Yang, and late Dr Lee Wei Ling.

According to past reports, Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling maintained that their father’s will instructed the property to be demolished once it was no longer inhabited.

SM Lee, who served as Singapore’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2024, said he believed their father was open to the Government considering alternative options in 2017, despite having voiced support for the demolition in 2015.

He stated that he had recused himself from the decision-making process regarding the Government's consideration of gazetting the family house.

SM Lee, who initially inherited the property under Lee’s final will, later sold it to Lee Hsien Yang at market value in late 2015. Lee Wei Ling continued living there until her death on 9 October 2024.

Following her passing in 2024, Lee Hsien Yang applied to demolish the property, saying this was consistent with his father’s final will dated 17 December 2013.

The application prompted the National Heritage Board to conduct a new survey to assess whether the property at 38 Oxley Road, the home of Singapore’s late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, should be preserved as a national monument, despite an earlier survey already having been conducted and published in the 2018 ministerial committee report.

Netizens Call on Government to Respect Lee Kuan Yew’s Wishes

On Reddit, many users echoed the view that the Government should respect the late Lee’s stated wishes.

“They've no issues demolishing other historically important buildings and putting down a plaque on it. Why should LKY's house be given exception?” one user asked.

Another noted that Lee did not want the location of his beginnings to become his legacy, saying the “whole island” was already his legacy.

“His message is loud and clear : It mattered not where he came from, it only matters what he did,” the user added.

One user argued that the issue was fundamentally about respect, saying that if Lee wanted the house demolished, his wishes should be honoured—especially by those in his own party.

The user added that skirting around the issue made it clear that his wishes were not being respected.

Another user emphasised private property rights: “I'd say that 38 Oxley Road is his private property and his last wishes regarding his assets should be respected.”

The user added that ignoring his wishes would “create a precedent where other private assets can be repurposed against the former owner's wishes”.

Commemoration Alternatives

Some users proposed alternative ways to honour Lee if the Government wished to recognise his contributions.

“I think it would be eminently more meaningful to do it in a museum dedicated to his life and times… If you want to do it properly, the History and the Respect needs to be separate sites,” one user said.

Another suggested establishing a Founder’s Day public holiday.

A separate user proposed combining the Founders’ Memorial with elements from Oxley Road, saying that if the dining room was historically significant, it could be detached, preserved, and incorporated into the memorial.

The user added that residents along Oxley Road would likely face “negative externalities” from any public site created there.

Political Motivation?

Some users believed political motivations may be involved. One comment described the matter as “a political and emotional issue”, suggesting the ruling party may wish to keep Lee’s memory alive to retain electoral support.

The user added that all it might take is for a few voters to be moved by the inspirational story of Lee Kuan Yew for the PAP to gain votes again.

Lee Hsien Yang: 38 Oxley Road Will Be “a Monument to the PAP’s Dishonour of Lee Kuan Yew”

Following the Government’s announcement of its intention to preserve and potentially acquire 38 Oxley Road, Lee Hsien Yang—who has been granted political asylum in the United Kingdom under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention—said the move would turn the property into 'a monument to the PAP’s dishonour of Lee Kuan Yew'.

He reiterated that throughout his life, Lee Kuan Yew was clear and unequivocal that he wanted his home demolished.

“He was against any monuments, and this was part of the values he upheld. As his son and his trustee, I object to the proposed gazetting of the property,” Lee Hsien Yang wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, which he publicly shared on Facebook on the morning of 17 November 2025.

Earlier, on 3 November, Lee Hsien Yang sharply criticised the Government for disregarding his father’s “unwavering wish” to demolish the property, claiming that the decision “tramples on Lee Kuan Yew’s clear and private wish” for the house to be demolished.

He also pointed out that the Founders’ Memorial already stands as a “huge and expensive monument,” noting that his father had opposed such commemorative projects.

Mixed Public Reaction

Lee Hsien Yang’s objection drew a wide range of responses on CNA, Mothership, and The Straits Times. While many called on the Government to respect Lee Kuan Yew’s stated wish, others took aim at Lee Hsien Yang himself.

One user criticised his handling of the situation, arguing that writing directly to the Prime Minister rather than engaging the relevant agency “reflected his attitude and arrogance”.

Another suggested that Lee Hsien Yang would oppose anything the PAP does or intends to do, adding that if he does not plan to return to Singapore, he should “just take the money and let Singapore decide” on the fate of the house.

Some users offered a different view. One commented that Lee Hsien Yang was simply trying his best as a son to fulfil his father’s wish, while another said that as the legal owner of the property, he had the right to object.

Another user argued that Lee Kuan Yew expected the PAP Government to act in Singapore’s best interest, suggesting that preserving the house — regardless of his personal wish — might serve a broader national purpose.

Others countered that respecting an individual’s final wishes is a universal principle that “should be upheld and above all considerations”.

One commenter remarked: “Well, law is the law, and this is Singapore. If there is legitimate reason, what will happen will happen whether you like it or not.”

One user also noted that the matter was ultimately a family issue and expressed hope that the brothers might eventually reconcile. The user added that it would be best if political groups refrained from using the issue for their own agendas.