SINGAPORE: Mr Lee Hsien Yang on Monday (Nov 17) issued an open letter objecting to a government proposal to designate the 38 Oxley Road site as a national monument, saying that the decision would dishonour his late father’s wishes.

This came after the government announced earlier this month its intention to gazette the site of Singapore’s founding prime minister’s family home as a national monument given its historic significance.

“The PAP government can honour Lee Kuan Yew on a matter of deep importance to him, or trample on his wishes and create a monument to that dishonour,” wrote his younger son in a letter posted to Facebook and translated into Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.

“As his son and his trustee I object to the proposed gazetting of the property.”

The letter, which was addressed to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, was posted on the deadline day for objections to be filed with authorities following the government’s proposal to gazette the site. The government said it would give the property owner – 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd – until Nov 17 to file objections.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the company’s sole shareholder, said his father consistently opposed monuments.

“Throughout his life Lee Kuan Yew was clear and unambiguous that he wanted his home at 38 Oxley Road demolished. He was against any monuments and this was part of the values he stood for,” the younger Mr Lee wrote.

Numerous “false, convoluted and self-contradictory arguments” have been advanced to “attempt to justify” the gazetting of the site, he said.

“The narrative that Lee Kuan Yew changed his mind and would be ‘all right’ with some form of preservation of his house is also a fiction.”

CNA has asked the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Prime Minister’s Office for their response to the letter.

Any formal objections will be submitted to Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo, who said in parliament on Nov 6 that they would be “considered objectively and fairly as part of due process”.

If the government decides to proceed with the preservation, a preservation order will be made and the acquisition process will commence according to established processes.

Compensation will be made according to the Land Acquisition Act, and the owner, any occupiers and others with an interest will be given the opportunity to submit their claims to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to determine compensation, Mr Neo said.