SINGAPORE, Nov 7 — The Singapore government plans to gazette 38 Oxley Road — the former home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew — as a national monument, in what officials call an effort to preserve the site’s historical value while respecting the family’s privacy.
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo told Parliament yesterday that the decision covers the entire site, not just the buildings within it, describing the property as “a unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence.”
“The thinking is to develop the site into a public space like a heritage park that Singaporeans can access if it is eventually preserved and acquired,” he was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.
Neo said the move “does not obligate the Government to keep the buildings and structures within the site in their current condition,” noting that officials have yet to enter the property to assess its state.
“We will keep all options open, and strive for a solution that will unite us as a country, rather than allow this to become a point of contention or division in our society,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that the government will “respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo’s wishes to protect their family’s privacy, by removing all traces of their private living spaces from the interior of the house.”
The site’s owner, Lee Hsien Yang, has until November 17 to file objections to the government’s gazette plan. If approved, the authorities will acquire the property under the Land Acquisition Act and conduct a detailed study before opening it to the public.
Neo said the government intends to finalise its plans for the site “well within this term of government.”
The house, built in the late 19th century, was where Lee Kuan Yew and other early leaders of the People’s Action Party met to lay the groundwork for Singapore’s independence.
