By Hannah Koh
AMAJORITY of respondents in an online poll conducted on Friday
by The Straits Times, are in favour of conserving Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew's house at 38, Oxley Road, after his passing.
Of the 2,154 respondents who responded in the six hours the poll
was open, 62 per cent said yes to conservation.
Those who said 'no' comprised 35 per cent, while three per cent
were neutral. Written responses ranged from nonchalance to
impassioned calls for the house's preservation.
In an interview with The Straits Times journalists for the book
Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going - which was launched earlier on
Friday - Mr Lee revealed he had told the Cabinet to demolish his
house after his death.
This is despite the fact that some of the most important
meetings concerning Singapore's future, had been held in the house
back in the 1950s.
MM Lee's revelation set Singaporeans talking.
Heritage experts pointed out, however, that the litmus test for
conservation will ultimately come down to whether the public sees
significance in the building, said leading director of the
Institute of Policy Studies, Mr Ong Keng Yong. He added: 'The only
way to find out is to ask the people of Singapore, possibly through
a poll'.
'If they think it should be conserved,' Mr Ong said, 'the
government of the day should bear the cost of maintaining it'.
In response, The Straits Times posted the question to readers on
our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Besides indicating their stances, readers also shared feedback
and suggestions.
On our Facebook page (facebook.com/TheStraitsTimes), Mr John S
Cheung wrote: 'I am for preserving it, but the current height limit
for the neighbouring properties, restricted road access and
mandatory silence in the evening, should not apply after that.'
Taking the same stance, Aspirant81 tweeted that 'it should be
conserved for the tourism money'.
Another comment came from Kin: 'Though I am not a Singaporean, I
believe that the house has a good story behind it and should be
conserved....Mr Lee is one of the greatest leaders of our time.
Many future Singaporeans will learn of the birth of a nation that
happened in this house.'
Bluemonkey supported conservation, but said it should not be
turned into a museum.
'Convert it into a school, child care centre, kindergarten, or
something useful,' wrote bluemonkey. 'It would be more in line with
Lee Kuan Yew's ideals.'
Out of those who were for demolition and development of the
site, Mr Ng Boon Keng emphasised on Facebook that it is a matter of
fulfilling the wishes of the elder statesman and homeowner.
'Respect the elder. He said demolish...must listen to our
founding fathers.'
Matthew Liow agreed, writing that 'if Mr Lee wants to demolish
the house, let it be'.
Some readers were more nonchalant.
'I walk past his house every day as my office is just round the
corner. Nothing special. It's just a house, let him do what he
wants with it,' wrote Loretta Marie Perera on Facebook.
Mr Lee's house at 38 Oxley Road was constructed by a Jewish
merchant over 100 years ago.
A place the Lees have called home since the 1940s, it was where
Singapore's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong grew up and its
basement played host to long meetings between the men who would go
on to form the People's Action Party in the 1950s.
