Today (October 20), Lee Hsien Yang posted two posts on Facebook in Chinese and English in a row, saying that in order to respect and fulfill his parents' last wishes, he will apply for the demolition of the former residence at 38 Oxley Road.
The post said that in order to respect and fulfill his parents' wishes, he will apply to demolish the former home at 38 Oxley Road, after which he will build a small private house and own it in the family name in perpetuity.
He is the sole legal owner of 38 Oxley Road. After the death of his sister Lee Wei Ling, he was the sole executor of his father, Lee Kuan Yew's will. Lee Kuan Yew's will was made clear in his will to demolish the former home at 38 Oxley Road "immediately" after Wei Ling moved out. As the executor of the will, he has a duty to carry out Lee Kuan Yew's will to the fullest extent permitted by law.
In 2015, Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament that when Wei Ling died, it would be up to the "government at the time" to decide whether to approve the demolition of the house. Nine years have passed, and now is the time to make a decision.
Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's daughter, Dr. Lee Wei Ling, passed away on October 9 at the age of 69. Three days after the suspension of the coffin, the eldest brother Lee Hsien Loong's son Lee Ngai Peng and more than 30 relatives and friends also came to see him off and was cremated on Saturday.
Lee Kuan Yew's former residence turmoil
Lee Kuan Yew died in 2015. Two years later, in 2017, the Lee family caused a storm at Lee Kuan Yew's former residence at 38 Osley Road.
To put it simply, Lee Kuan Yew's will on how to deal with the former residence, the second sister Lee Weiling, the third brother Lee Hsien Yang, and the eldest brother Lee Hsien Loong have different understandings, and each insists on one thing.
(38 Oxley Road.) Source: Internet)
Lee Wee Ling and Lee Hsien Yeung said that in his later years, Lee Kuan Yew had repeatedly asked the Singapore government to guarantee the demolition of his former home after his death so that it would not become a "relic for worship." They believe that "Lee Hsien Loong used his position as prime minister to try to keep Lee Kuan Yew's former residence", which went against Lee Kuan Yew's last wishes.
Lee Hsien Loong was still prime minister at the time. He said, "As a son, I am willing to obey my parents' wishes. However, it is up to the incumbent Government to decide.
He appointed Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean to study various options for the demolition or non-demolition of the former residence, and avoided participating in the decision-making process in order to avoid suspicion.
Subsequently, the Singapore government developed a number of filing plans indicating the various options for the Lee Kuan Yew former residence and its implications for future government reference. It was also made clear to Lee Wai Ling and Lee Hsien Yeung that the government, in accordance with Lee Kuan Yew's wishes, would not decide whether to stay or leave the house while Lee Wai Ling was still living at 38 Oxley Road.
(The Lee family at 38 Oxley Road.) Source: Li Jia)
When dealing with the matter of Lee Kuan Yew's former residence, Teo Chi Hsien said: "Lee Hsien Yang was a very capable man, and when he was discharged from the army, I encouraged him to stay and continue to serve the country. However, all I can say now is that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's behaviour and the way he handled the issue are as good as ever, but I am very saddened by the change in appearance. ”
Now, Li Weiling no longer lives at 38 Oxley Road. The question of whether to leave or stay in this house will have to be raised again sooner or later.
Should it be demolished or should it be kept?
There are different opinions on the whereabouts of Lee Kuan Yew's former residence at 38 Oxley Road.
1. This is a prime location on Orchard Road, and after demolition, it has a higher market value as a commercial or residential building, and it is advocated for demolition
Second, this is a century-old villa, the maintenance cost is too high, the gains outweigh the losses, and it is advocated to be demolished
3. Retaining the former residence is equivalent to "making gods" and advocating demolition
Fourth, the last wishes of Lee Kuan Yew and Ke Yuzhi should be respected and demolished. Ms. Ke once said that behind her and Lee Kuan Yew, a steady stream of strangers came to the former home to see the place where they had lived, which was tantamount to snooping on privacy, which she could not accept
5. It has lived here for two prime ministers of Singapore, has many precious historical records and cultural values, has cultural heritage value, and advocates preservation
6. The state has laws that houses with historical value must be retained in accordance with the law, and Lee Kuan Yew cannot be demolished just because he wants to
What do you think? Please leave a message in the comment section.
HQ丨Editor
HQ丨Editor
Lee Hsien Yang's Facebook丨Source
Lee Hsien Yang's Facebook丨Image source
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