Jakarta –
The future of the home of the late Lee Kuan Yew, First Prime Minister of Singapore is no longer in the dark amidst the dispute. The Singapore government has designated the house of Singapore’s founder as Singapore’s 77th national monument.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) said Lee Kuan Yew’s house was very suitable to become a national monument. One of the strongest reasons is the historical value of the building.
This house has witnessed important events in the 1950s that marked Singapore’s journey towards independence. Therefore, the Singapore government sees this house as more than just the home of an important figure who founded modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
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“This place was also the location for conversations, activities and decision-making by our founding leaders and other key figures who profoundly shaped the direction of Singapore’s independence movement and our subsequent national history,” said the Singapore government in a written statement as quoted by Channel News Asia, on Sunday (14/12/2025).
This pre-war house was the private home of Lee Kuan Yew and his family from the 1940s until his death in 2015. A location that is said to be of historical value is the dining room in the basement which was often the meeting place for the founders of the People’s Action Party in the 1950s.
In addition, several figures who contributed to the establishment of modern Singapore, such as Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye, S. Rajaratnam once gathered there.
Reporting from Reuters, before becoming Lee Kuan Yew’s residence, this house was owned by a Jewish trader in 1945. After a decade, the house was newly occupied by Lee Kuan Yew. At that time, Lee Kuan Yew only rented the house for 118 Singapore dollars in 1965 or now the equivalent of Rp. 1.5 million (exchange rate Rp. 12,890).
The house on Jalan 38 Oxley Road is not a luxurious house like the houses of today’s officials. This house only consists of one floor with a basement and stands on an area of 1,250 square meters. Inside there are 5 bedrooms. The value of the house last year was estimated at around 17 million Singapore dollars or the equivalent of IDR 219 billion.
When viewed from the architecture, it may look ordinary, but the architecture of this house is identical to buildings from colonial India in the 18th century. Models like this are already dwindling in number, namely around 200 buildings in 2022. Meanwhile, only about 16 are thought to have the same style and era of construction as Lee Kuan Yew’s house.
The characteristic of this house is that it has high ceilings, one floor with a Chinese-influenced tile roof, and a large yard to protect the occupants from the hot sun.
“Over time, this house has been associated with events of national importance. Today, it is proof of the formation of a new government for Singapore. The Committee considers that this Property has architectural, heritage and historical significance,” said the ministerial committee as quoted by Today Online, Friday (25/10/2024).
Meanwhile, Lee Kuan Yew himself was the first Prime Minister of Singapore who served in 1959-1990. Reporting from Biography, he is the longest serving Prime Minister in the world. During his leadership, Singapore could become the most prosperous and developed country among the countries in Southeast Asia.
Lee Kuan Yew breathed his last breath in 2015 at the age of 91. He has two sons and one daughter, namely Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Hsien Yang, and Lee Wei Ling. Lee Hsien Loong followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming Prime Minister of Singapore for the 2004-2024 period.
After Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy, his two sons Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang disagreed about the fate of the house. Lee Hsien Yang insisted that the house should be demolished, while Lee Hsien Loong said the decision on the house’s fate should be made by the Singapore government. There is a possibility that the house could become a historical building in the future.
This problem has been going on for almost 10 years. Even last year, the dispute between the two became a hot topic of discussion again. This started with Lee Hsien Yang who revealed on his Facebook that since 2022, he has been trying to seek asylum in England. After a long wait, he received a residence permit in the country in August 2024.
He had to leave Singapore because he felt pressure from his older brother, Lee Hsien Loong, and Singapore due to conflicts at their parents’ house. The peak of their dispute occurred in 2022 when Lee Hsien Yang and his family fled to England. He rejected the investigation process carried out by the Singapore court regarding accusations that he changed the contents of the will regarding the property.
The Singapore government had time to speak out when they never expelled or hindered the return of Lee Hsien Yang and his family. They also never evicted Yang and his wife.
“They are free and always free to return to Singapore,” said the Singapore government, as quoted by Channel News Asia quoted on Thursday (24/10/2024).
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