Singapore leaders marked the 10th anniversary of the passing of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday (23 Mar) with tributes to his leadership and reflections on his contributions to the nation.
Mr Lee became Singapore’s first prime minister in 1959, serving until 1990. He remained active in politics as a senior minister and later as a minister mentor until his retirement in May 2011.
He was then appointed senior adviser to the GIC sovereign wealth fund before passing away on 23 March 2015 at the age of 91.
Leaders Pay Tribute
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Mr Lee and his pioneering team defied the odds to build a nation anchored in meritocracy, strengthened by economic resilience, and bound by a deep commitment to harmony.
“Singapore today stands as a living testament to his vision – a clean, green, and dynamic city-state, admired and respected around the world,” he wrote on Facebook.
“As we mark SG60 and chart our next chapter, let us honour his legacy not just in remembrance, but in action. The Singapore story is still being written. Together, let’s forge a brighter future worthy of the foundation he laid.”
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong also reflected on his father’s passing, noting that Singaporeans remember Mr Lee for all he had done for the nation.
“To me and my family, he was our father or grandfather, and meant the world to us. May we live up to his hopes and expectations, and always do him proud,” he said.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singapore would be a very different place without Mr Lee’s leadership.
“We survived as a small nation, became a multiracial society, and kept climbing up in the world because of him, the team he led, and his insistence that every generation should have its own leaders – and its own ideals and aspirations for the future,” he said.
He added that living up to Mr Lee’s legacy meant continuously striving for a better future.
“To keep striving to be a place that uplifts every Singaporean, makes us all that we can be together, and uplifts the spirit.”
On 22 March, a ceremony was held at Duxton Plain Park in Tanjong Pagar GRC to mark the anniversary.
Mr Lee was first elected as Tanjong Pagar’s MP in 1955 and held the seat for almost 60 years.
The ceremony was attended by three of the five current Tanjong Pagar MPs – Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, and MP Joan Pereira.
Former Tiong Bahru MP Koo Tsai Kee and West Coast GRC MP Rachel Ong were also present.
All five placed bouquets of yellow and white chrysanthemums at the foot of the Lee Kuan Yew memorial tree, planted in Duxton Plain Park a month after his passing in 2015.
Netizens Question PAP’s Failure to Honour Lee Kuan Yew’s Wish to Demolish 38 Oxley Road
While government leaders paid tribute to Mr Lee, many netizens questioned whether the PAP was truly honouring his legacy, given the unresolved issue of 38 Oxley Road.
Commenting on state media platforms such as The Straits Times, CNA, and Mothership, netizens criticised the government’s inaction.
They argued that Mr Lee had made his wishes explicitly clear, yet they remained unfulfilled.
One user questioned what honour the PAP had if it could not even grant Mr Lee’s final request, despite it being “so abundantly clear and simple to understand.”
Another argued that if the PAP truly respected Mr Lee, it would not have turned his wish to demolish the house into “a mess and a joke of his legacy.”
Others expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, pointing out that the issue remained unresolved a decade after Mr Lee’s passing.
One user asked what there was to honour when the government could not even make a final decision on the house after 10 years.
“What is there to honour when the simple issue of whether to demolish the house or not cannot be finalised 10 years on?” they wrote.
Another questioned when the PAP leadership would finally act on Mr Lee’s last wish.
Some netizens also highlighted the perceived irony of the government’s actions.
One commenter noted that while the government was honouring Mr Lee’s 10th death anniversary, it had failed to honour his final wish regarding 38 Oxley Road.
“Honouring his 10th death anniversary but not honouring his last wish of demolishing 38 Oxley Road. Oh, the irony!” they remarked.
Others accused the government of leveraging Mr Lee’s legacy for political purposes.
One user criticised the PAP for continuing to benefit from his name while disregarding his wishes.
Another suggested that the government had refused to demolish the house so it could continue using Mr Lee’s name for political mileage.
“Did they tell LKY they’re going against his wish and not demolishing his house so they can continue using his name for political mileage?” they questioned.
The Uncertain Fate of 38 Oxley Road: A Decade-Long Dispute Continues
The fate of 38 Oxley Road, the former residence of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), remains mired in political and legal uncertainty — nearly a decade after his passing.
Probate for LKY’s final will, which included a clause expressing his wish for the house to be demolished, was granted on 6 October 2015. The executors of the estate were his two children, Dr Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang (LHY).
However, disagreements over the will and the future of the house have since fractured the Lee family and sparked a prolonged national debate.
While LKY had made clear his preference for the house to be demolished, the government has yet to commit to that course.
Instead, the government has repeatedly questioned the circumstances under which the seventh and final will — specifically the re-insertion of the demolition clause — was drafted, often implying that LHY and his wife may have played a misleading role.
The couple, who have been granted asylum in the United Kingdom, have consistently rejected these allegations, maintaining that the will reflected Lee Kuan Yew’s clear and unwavering intentions.
Following the passing of Dr Lee Wei Ling on 9 October 2024, LHY became the sole surviving executor of LKY’s estate. Later that month, he announced his intent to apply for the demolition of the house, in accordance with his parents’ wishes.
“After my sister’s passing, I am the only living executor of my father LKY’s estate. It is my duty to carry out his wishes to the fullest extent of the law,” LHY stated in a Facebook post.
On 21 October 2024, LHY formally submitted an application to demolish the house.
In response, the government announced a heritage study on 24 October 2024, led by the National Heritage Board (NHB), to assess whether 38 Oxley Road should be preserved as a national monument. This study, introduced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, has effectively put a hold on any demolition plans.
Minister Tong stated that “no option should be precluded” and called on Singaporeans to keep an open mind about the outcome. The review is being conducted by NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, whose recommendations will be submitted to the ministry.
While the government has not formally declared an intention to preserve the house, its actions — including the repeated questioning of the final will and initiation of a heritage review — have been widely seen as steps toward preventing its demolition.
Lee Hsien Yang Urges PAP to Honour Lee Kuan Yew’s Wish
In a Facebook post on 23 March—the 10th anniversary of his father’s passing, LHY made a direct appeal to the PAP government, arguing that preserving 38 Oxley Road would be “against the principles [Lee Kuan Yew] stood for—a pragmatic, forward-thinking Singapore, unshackled to the past.”
He reiterated his father’s repeated and publicly expressed wish for the property to be demolished once it was no longer inhabited.
Addressing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong directly, he urged the government to stop delaying action.
“PM Lawrence Wong, honour Lee Kuan Yew’s final wish. Stop kicking the can down the road.”
He stated that after Dr Lee Wei Ling’s passing, he submitted an application for demolition, but authorities had remained silent despite initially saying they needed a few weeks to assess it.
Expressing frustration over the prolonged delay, he added: “If the PAP government intends to trample on Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and preserve his house, they should just do so. If not, they should permit demolition.”
He further argued that the continued indecision undermines “respect, integrity, and honouring a man who shaped our nation.”
As of now, no final decision has been made. The future of 38 Oxley Road remains in limbo, continuing a decade-long dispute that has become a flashpoint for broader debates over Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy, governance, and transparency in Singapore.
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