38 Oxley Road should be retained as it bore witness to key moments in S’pore history, says minister

SINGAPORE - The site at 38 Oxley Road, where the family home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is located, needs to be retained because of its historical significance to independent Singapore, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo.

Explaining the decision to earmark the site as a national monument, Mr Neo told Parliament on Nov 6 that very few sites here have such a confluence of “people, place and events”.

“As a young nation, we need to retain this unique site, for it bears witness to the birth of independent Singapore, and to key moments in our history,” he said.

Mr Neo also said Singapore is “not memorialising any single leader” in preserving the site.

Rather, such sites and markers will remind Singaporeans of the country’s hard-won path to becoming a multiracial, multi-religious and sovereign nation, in a way that is not “distant or abstract”, he said.

“We are safeguarding the grounds where future generations can stand – to understand where we came from, who we are, and what we overcame together,” he added.

Mr Neo also said that the Government’s approach to the 38 Oxley Road site was “the most responsible” one.

On Nov 3, the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Singapore Land Authority announced their

intention to gazette 38 Oxley Road to preserve it as a national monument

, after an advisory board assessed that it has historic significance and national importance.

If the site is preserved and acquired, it will be converted into a public space, with one possible option being a heritage park.

If the Government preserves and acquires the site, it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses. This would avoid a situation where private parties attempt to purchase the property to have an address that is associated with Mr Lee’s residence, Mr Neo said.

NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments advisory board had assessed the site to have

strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument

. Public officers on the advisory board had recused themselves during the assessment to ensure that the site was considered independently, Mr Neo noted.

In the 1950s, the site bore witness to pivotal events that marked Singapore’s transition from a British colony to an independent nation.

It also served as the venue for conversations, activities and decisions of Singapore’s founding leaders, which profoundly influenced the trajectory of the country’s independence movement and subsequent national history, Mr Neo said.

For example, the basement dining room of the house was where individuals such as Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr S. Rajaratnam and Mr K.M. Byrne discussed the feasibility of forming a political party to contest the 1955 Legislative Assembly election.

The site at 38 Oxley Road was also where some of these leaders formulated their vision, plans and values for Singapore, leading to the formation of the People’s Action Party, its victory in the 1959 Legislative Assembly election, and the country’s first fully independent government.

“This makes the site a unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence,” Mr Neo said, adding that he agreed with the advisory board’s recommendations.

“If preserved, the site would allow current and future generations of Singaporeans to reflect upon these significant events, and the ideals and values that have shaped Singapore.”

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) asked if the upcoming Founders’ Memorial would be able to capture the historical and national significance of the country’s founding values and ideals, without having to preserve 38 Oxley Road. Responding, Mr Neo said the Founders’ Memorial does not share the same sense of place as the Oxley site – a place that “housed all the critical events”.

“Being in the same space as those who came before us is not something that can be captured by replication at another site,” he said.

Slated to open in 2028, the Founders’ Memorial at Bay East Garden will have exhibition galleries and a 5ha outdoor garden. Its construction is estimated to cost $335 million.

Workers’ Party Non-Constituency MP Eileen Chong asked if the possible heritage park at the Oxley site would have “additional heritage value or visitor experience, beyond the sense of space”, compared with the Founders’ Memorial.

Mr Neo reiterated that the Founders’ Memorial, which is built on reclaimed land, is not the same space as 38 Oxley Road, where significant events took place and people came together.

“There will not be that same sense of authenticity,” he said.

If the Oxley Road site were to be preserved, it would add to the Founders’ Memorial to give Singaporeans “a fuller understanding of what it means to be Singaporean, our sense of national identity, and how we can forge forward as one people”, he added.