Three days after the funeral of his sister Dr Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang reiterated his intention to tear down the house on 38 Oxley Road in a Facebook post.
He had previously concluded his eulogy for his sister on the day of the funeral on 12 October with his intention to have the house demolished:
The estate had been the Lee family’s childhood home and the place where Lee Kuan Yew lived in until his death in 2015. His daughter Dr Lee Wei Ling continued to live there until she passed away last Wednesday, 9 October 2024, leaving the fate of the house hanging.
What should have been an easy decision on what to do with the house based on the original owner Lee Kuan Yew’s will turned into a legal tussle between the Lee siblings due to individual interests and the unclear circumstances surrounding the events before Lee Kuan Yew’s death.
Here is Lee Hsien Yang’s announcement on Tuesday, 15 October 2024:
In Lee Hsien Yang’s Facebook post on Tuesday, Lee Hsien Yang declared his intention to demolish the house and build a private property on it. He has not yet disclosed details of the ownership of this new property.
The battle of the Oxley house has been less of the public’s interest than the preoccupation of the Lee siblings. What are the stakes for each of the brothers? Are financial gains involved? Should parts of the house be retained to meet the siblings halfway?
Why did Lee Hsien Loong first offer to transfer the house to Dr Lee Wei Ling for a nominal sum of S$1, but later sold it to Mr Lee Hsien Yang at market value? What were the conditions that led to the initial deal falling through?
In the initial deal, if the bungalow were to be later sold or acquired by the Government, the proceeds must go to charity. Will this be honoured?
Many questions remain unanswered on 38 Oxley. An affair that should have been settled within the family has now turned into an ugly public spectacle, potentially consuming time and resources that should instead by spent on discussing issues benefiting the lives of Singaporeans.
Should the public continue to be embroiled in this sibling rivalry?
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