38 Oxley Road gazetted as a national monument

In his objections, Mr Lee said 38 Oxley Road “will be a monument to the PAP’s dishonour of Lee Kuan Yew”, citing his father’s wish for the home to be demolished.

The panel, formally called the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) Advisory Board, assesses sites that have been identified as potential monuments before providing a recommendation to the NHB.

If the NHB concurs with the advisory board’s assessment, it in turn submits a proposal to the culture, community and youth minister for the site to be preserved, which the minister must then evaluate.

MCCY and NHB said preserving the site does not mean that the building and structures within must be kept in their original state.

“The appropriate treatment of the building and structures will be subject to further study, once the Government has access to the site,” the agencies added.

“Nevertheless, to respect Mr Lee’s wishes, the Government has committed to removing the private living spaces from the interior of the building to protect the privacy of Mr Lee and his family under all eventual options.”

In a Facebook post at 7.44pm on Dec 12, Mr Lee Hsien Yang reiterated claims he had previously made that his father was misled to believe that 38 Oxley Road had already been gazetted.

The Straits Times has contacted Mr Lee Hsien Yang for comment.

It was in the Oxley Road bungalow’s basement dining room that the founding members of the People’s Action Party began meeting in the 1950s to consider the feasibility of forming a political party.

Besides Mr Lee Kuan Yew, these individuals – many of whom went on to become key leaders of independent Singapore in the 1960s – included Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr S. Rajaratnam and Mr K. M. Byrne.

Mr Neo had told Parliament on Nov 6 that if the site is preserved as a national monument, all options will be considered, including those proposed by the ministerial committee in 2018.

The committee, led by then Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, had set out three suggestions for the 38 Oxley Road site and the bungalow: retain the entire building; retain only the basement dining room; or demolish the bungalow fully for redevelopment – either for residential use or for alternative uses like a park or heritage centre.

On Dec 12, MCCY and NHB said that Mr Neo concurred with the PSM Advisory Board’s assessment that the site “has strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument, as it bore witness to pivotal events in the 1950s that marked Singapore’s transition from a colony to an independent nation”.

“It was also the venue for conversations, activities and decisions by our founding leaders and other key individuals, which profoundly shaped the trajectory of Singapore’s independence movement and our subsequent national history,” the two agencies added, citing discussions among these individuals in the lead-up to the Legislative Assembly elections in 1959.

The PAP won that election, and formed Singapore’s first fully independent government.

Describing the site as a “unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence”, MCCY and NHB said that the decision to preserve it “is made in the public interest, and goes beyond the personal preferences of any individual”.

“Preserving the site will allow current and future generations of Singaporeans to reflect upon significant events in our nation’s history that took place there, and the ideals and values that have shaped Singapore,” they said.

MCCY and NHB said the Government intends to acquire the site “to safeguard and preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance”.

“Preserving and acquiring the site means that it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses,” said the agencies.

They added that the authorities will assess the condition of the buildings and structures within the site after it is acquired, and undertake a detailed study to consider the next steps.

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