'How long more will it take?': Lee Hsien Yang renews call for decision on 38 Oxley Road demolition
He had applied for permission to demolish the house a year ago.
On the first death anniversary of his sister, Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang renewed his call for the demolition of the family home at 38 Oxley Road - the long-debated residence of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
In a Facebook post on Oct 9, Mr Lee said he had applied for permission to demolish the house on Oct 21, shortly after Dr Lee's death on Oct 9, 2024.
"The NHB responded with yet another assessment which would "take several weeks". There has been no follow up," he wrote.
He also referred to earlier discussions dating back to 2010 about whether to preserve the property. In 2015, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said it would be up to the "Government of the day" to decide the matter.
A Ministerial Committee Report on Oxley Road, released in 2018, outlined several possible approaches - from preservation to demolition and redevelopment. "The various options in the Report are meant to help a future government make an informed and considered decision when the need arises," it said.
"We did not make any recommendation because no decision is required at this point in time," said then-deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was the chair of the committee.
"Ultimately, in the fullness of time, a future Government will have the responsibility to consider the public interest aspects of the property, taking into account Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes. They will have to decide what to do with the property and be able to carry the decision," he added.
History of appeals
On Oct 15, 2024, Mr Lee announced his intention to seek demolition approval in a Facebook post, saying it was in line with the wishes of his late parents and sister.
"To honour my parents' last wishes, I am applying to demolish the house... and thereafter to build a small private dwelling, to be held within the family in perpetuity," Mr Lee wrote.
He reiterated the appeal in another Facebook post on March 23, the anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew's death, arguing that preserving the house would contradict his father's values of pragmatism and progress.
"Lee Kuan Yew believed in looking forward, not back," he said.
Netizens weigh in
Mr Lee's latest post has drawn more than 1,300 reactions and 270 comments.
Some offered their own take. "Personally I think Oxley house is worth keeping because of history," said one. Another wrote: "Passed by the place recently. I felt sad looking at it. No point keeping. I told myself."
Many hoped for a swift resolution. "Perhaps they will use AI to make the decision," one joked.
Others expressed scepticism that the long-running debate would ever be resolved, while some felt the matter was "none of their business", and should remain a private family affair, rather than continue unfolding in public.