38 Oxley Road dispute

last SG · 2017-07-01T22:16:00+00:00

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Friday (June 16) weighed in on the Lee family spat over 38 Oxley Road, by urging Singaporeans to "not be dragged do...

TehJarVu SG

it's very clear now which one is the dishonorable son

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'Not true' that ministerial committee is bent on preventing demolition of Lee Kuan Yew's home: DPM Teo

SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Tuesday (Jun 27) said it is untrue that a ministerial committee studying options for Mr Lee Kuan Yew's old home at 38 Oxley Road is "bent on preventing the demolition of the house".

Labelling it a "misconception" that the late Mr Lee's youngest son Lee Hsien Yang may have, DPM Teo who chairs the ministerial committee, said he shared his personal views on some of the options for the house with him. This is to let him know that the "Government was not bent on retaining the house as he seems to believe, but that we are calmly and objectively examining a range of options", he said.

He added that Mr Lee Hsien Yang "seems supportive" of some of the intermediate options the ministerial committee is studying.

Some of these options were laid out by Senior Minister of State for Law Indranee Rajah in a Facebook post on Sunday.

DPM Teo reiterated that no decision is needed on the house for now as Mr Lee Hsien Yang's sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, is still living there. "Cabinet will only decide on which option to choose, when the time comes for a decision to be made on the house. If, for example, Dr Lee Wei Ling ceases to live in the house next month, then Cabinet will have to decide next month. If she stays there for 30 more years, then the Government in place, in 30 years, will have to decide," Mr Teo said.

He added: "There should be no need to disagree on studying the options for the time when a decision needs to be made."

DPM Teo's statement is as follows:

"I met Mr Lee Hsien Yang (LHY) several times between April and July 2015. I informed him that PM Lee had recused himself on Government decisions relating to No. 38 Oxley Road (“the house”).

I conveyed Cabinet’s deep respect for Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Mr Lee), and that Cabinet will take very seriously Mr Lee’s wishes regarding the house, as expressed in his Will, at a time when a decision has to be made regarding the house.

I also informed him that no decision is needed now. Dr Lee Wei Ling (LWL) is living in the house, and a decision made prospectively by the current Government could not bind a future Government.

From Mr LHY’s latest statement on Jun 27, 2017, he agrees there is no need for a decision on the house now. So there is no difference of views between Mr LHY and the Government on when a decision is to be made.

The committee was set up to study and set out the range of possible options for the house and present them to Cabinet. Cabinet will only decide on which option to choose, when the time comes for a decision to be made on the house. If, for example, Dr LWL ceases to live in the house next month, then Cabinet will have to decide next month. If she stays there for 30 more years, then the Government in place, in 30 years, will have to decide. The committee had written to Mr LHY and Dr LWL to clarify that it would list the various options and study their implications. By way of illustration, we highlighted that converting the house to a park would require studying the implications on the area, including for planning and zoning. This is in writing.

I had also shared my personal views, verbally, on some of the options with Mr LHY, such as demolishing the house but keeping the basement dining room with a heritage centre attached. My objective was to let him know that Government was not bent on retaining the house as he seems to believe, but that we are calmly and objectively examining a range of options.

I do not recall whether it was Mr LHY or I who suggested a memorial park, but he is mistaken that I expressed reluctance. I said that I personally did not support the options on the extreme ends of the range – preserving the house as it is, or demolishing the house to redevelop it for new private residences. There are indeed a range of viable intermediate options between these. Mr LHY seems supportive of some of the intermediate options we are studying.

So there should be no need to disagree on studying the options for the time when a decision needs to be made."

Source: CNA/ly

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38 Oxley Road dispute: 'No confidence' that complete account will be told in Parliament, says Lee Hsien Yang

SINGAPORE: Mr Lee Hsien Yang said on Thursday (Jun 29) that he has "no confidence" that a "fair, transparent or complete account of events" will be told in Parliament when his brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addresses the dispute involving their childhood home at 38 Oxley Road.

"Only his side of the story will air, with no promise of truthfulness due to parliamentary privilege," Mr Lee said on his Facebook page.

He added: "We believe that key issues such as his abuse of power will be simply swept under the carpet. The accused controls both process and outcome in this forum."

PM Lee has promised to deal with the allegations when Parliament sits on Jul 3, saying that the "baseless accusations" against him and the Government must be dealt with openly. He also invited all Members of Parliament to question him and his Cabinet colleagues vigorously on the matter.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang, however, reiterated that a parliamentary session is "not the correct forum for investigations of this nature," and said the sitting on Jul 3 is another example of the Prime Minister misusing his position to drive his personal agenda.

"This parliamentary session is a forum that again places Hsien Loong before his subordinates. They lack both sufficient background and evidence of the numerous instances of abuse and conflicts of interest, many yet to be raised," Mr Lee wrote on Facebook. "Many MPs will fear career repercussions if they speak out against their superior."

At the centre of the very public spat between PM Lee and his siblings is the future of the house which belonged to their father, the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and whether it should be demolished.

PM Lee's siblings have questioned the need to set up a ministerial committee to consider options for the house, when the late Mr Lee had stated in his will his wish to have the house demolished immediately after his death or after his daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling has moved out.

Chair of the ministerial committee, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, said earlier this week that it is "not true" that the Government is bent on preventing the demolition of the house, calling it a "misconception" that Mr Lee Hsien Yang may have.

Source: CNA/gs

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PM Lee, DPM Teo to make ministerial statements in Parliament on 38 Oxley Road dispute

SINGAPORE: When Parliament sits on Monday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will deliver ministerial statements on the dispute surrounding the house of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Road.

According to the Parliament order paper released on Friday (Jun 30), PM Lee will address allegations of abuse of power made by his siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling.

Mr Teo will speak about the ministerial committee that was set up to consider options for the house.

PM Lee said last Monday that he would refute the "baseless accusations" in Parliament on Jul 3, and invited all Members of Parliament to question him and his Cabinet colleagues vigorously.

Other issues on the agenda include bicycle-sharing schemes and how they are being managed. Three MPs filed questions on the matter, with MP Zaqy Mohamad asking if the Ministry of Transport plans to introduce measures to manage indiscriminate parking.

MP Ang Wei Neng wants to know how many complaints have been received on the improper use of dockless bicycles since the start of this year, while MP Lim Biow Chuan is asking if people who damage these rental bicycles will be prosecuted.

Source: CNA/gs

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PM Lee threatened to gazette 38 Oxley Road: Lee Wei Ling

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had “threatened angrily to gazette” 38 Oxley Road, Lee Wei Ling said in a Facebook post on Saturday (Jul 1).

Dr Lee said PM Lee did this following the reading of Lee Kuan Yew’s will by lawyers after his death. “This greatly disturbed me. He was willing to go against Papa’s wishes as soon as Papa was gone,” she wrote.

She also added that Mr Lee’s wife, Ho Ching, took a sabbatical to “help sort out Lee family affairs”.

“This consisted of spending her days at Oxley Road getting the photographer from Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) to photograph and catalog items which she would pack into plastic boxes to send to storage, and her attempts to recreate the way Oxley looked decades ago."

"She had no business doing this at all," said Dr Lee.

Dr Lee said Madam Ho “wrongfully took and handed over” items from the Oxley Road house to the National Heritage Board (NHB) – enough to create a “Lee Kuan Yew Museum”.

She added: “Later, the NHB was subsequently told by the Prime Minister's Office to refuse the exhibition – simply because we (Dr Lee and Lee Hsien Yang) had required that the last paragraph in Papa’s will be simultaneously displayed to remind the public of his desire (for the house) to be demolished.”

Dr Lee also said the Mr Lee and Madam Ho’s actions “angered” her, adding they were “taking advantage of the fact that no one would dare criticise them for acting improperly”.

PHOTOS TAKEN FOR NATIONAL ARCHIVAL, DOCUMENTATION: MCI

In a response to Dr Lee's post, the MCI said on Saturday that its photographers were deployed to take photos of various personal and official items belonging to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Road after the founding Prime Minister's passing.

"This was done for the purposes of national archival and documentation. Similar photographic recordings were done during Mr Lee’s lifetime of his study at home and of the basement dining room."

A spokesperson said MCI's photographers continued to support the elder Mr Lee after he stepped down from the Cabinet, "in line with MCI's policy of supporting former Prime Ministers and Presidents after they leave office".

PM Lee has been locked in a dispute with his siblings over their childhood home, and the matter spilled into the public sphere last month when Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee issued a joint statement accusing their brother of abusing his powers in Government, saying they have "lost confidence" in him.

PM Lee and and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will deliver ministerial statements on the dispute in Parliament on Monday.

Source: CNA/rw/ja

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Ministerial committee on 38 Oxley Road an 'extra-judicial secret attack': Lee Hsien Yang

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's brother Lee Hsien Yang has accused PM Lee of an "extra-judicial secret attack" by seeking to bypass the court system, in his latest Facebook post on Sunday (Jul 2) over a dispute regarding their late father's house at 38 Oxley Road.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang said PM Lee "took his grievance on a 'private family matter' to a committee of his subordinates" which he said was "aimed at undermining their father's last will and his unwavering wish".

"Whether or not LHL supposedly recused himself from decision-making, his own
subordinates cannot be the judge of a matter in which he has a direct personal interest," Mr Lee Hsien Yang added.

In his post, Mr Lee Hsien Yang reiterated that the ministerial committee did not "list the options" that were being considered for the estate despite his queries.

"The mysterious ministerial committee refused to list the options it was considering for 38 Oxley Road, even after repeated requests from Lee Kuan Yew’s Estate," he said, adding that the "closest hint it gave to any discussion on options was this vague paragraph, from Minister Lawrence Wong, on 24 August 2016."

Mr Lee Hsien Yang posted his request for more "concrete information" on Dec 20, 2016.

He said he wrote again on Feb 28, 2017.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang said: "The mysterious committee did not answer our queries. It spent most of its time repeating Lee Hsien Loong’s relentless attacks on our father’s demolition wish.

"Its focus was not options on the house. It was an extra-judicial secret attack, through a committee of Hsien Loong’s subordinates, aimed at undermining our father’s last will and his unwavering wish."

"Whether or not Lee Hsien Loong ‘recuses’ himself, his own subordinates cannot be his
secret judges," PM Lee's brother added.

-- CNA

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