SINGAPORE: The site of 38 Oxley Road was "more than just the home" of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – it was where Singapore's independence movement took shape, a government advisory board said on Monday (Nov 3).
The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the site as having "strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument", describing it as a foundational part of Singapore's independence that is "not represented by any other site or monument".
The site witnessed pivotal events in the 1950s that marked the country’s journey to independence, the board said.
These included “political conversations, activities and decisions” by the nation's founding leaders that “profoundly influenced the trajectory of Singapore's independence movement and its subsequent national history”.
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo intends to gazette the site as a national monument, after considering the advisory board's assessment and the National Heritage Board's (NHB) recommendation, according to a joint statement from NHB and the Singapore Land Authority.
The announcement marks the latest development in a saga that has unfolded since Mr Lee's death on Mar 23, 2015.
The property was his home from 1950 until his death, and where his three children – Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the late Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang – grew up.
In the 1950s, 38 Oxley Road was where various individuals came to seek Mr Lee's help and legal advice, “often in relation to political action”.
These consultations addressed major events such as the British colonial administration's arrest of journalist Abdul Samad Ismail in 1951, the 1952 Singapore Post and Telegraph Uniformed Staff Union strike, and the 1954 National Service riots.
Some of those who met Mr Lee, including trade unionists, later became his key collaborators and important figures in Singapore's independence movement, the statement said.
From early 1953, the basement dining room hosted regular secret discussions among Mr Lee, Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr S Rajaratnam and Mr K M Byrne on forming a new political party.
The group gradually expanded to include other figures who would become key leaders of Singapore's independence movement, such as Mr Abdul Samad lsmail, Mr Devan Nair, Mr Lim Chin Siong and Mr Fong Swee Suan.
“The site witnessed these discussions involving key founding leaders of independent Singapore, that shaped the course of Singapore's national history,” the statement said.
“It was through these meetings that the founding leaders formulated their political vision, plans and values, and where they organised the transition towards self-government.”
The site later became the first headquarters of the People’s Action Party after it was founded in 1954, up until 1959 when the party won its first General Election and established self-governance in Singapore.
The statement highlighted the “simplicity” of the site, which “attests to the values of prudence, pragmatism and discipline exemplified by Singapore's founding leaders”.
“As a physical marker, 38 Oxley Road would allow present and future generations of Singaporeans to connect with and reflect on the deliberations and decisions made by Singapore's founding leaders, the gravity and impact of pivotal events that led Singapore to independence, as well as the ideals and values that have come to shape Singapore today,” the statement said.
Monday’s announcement came slightly more than a year after NHB said in October 2024 that it would study the Oxley Road site to assess whether it merited preservation as a national monument.
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The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the site as having "strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument", describing it as a foundational part of Singapore's independence that is "not represented by any other site or monument".
The site witnessed pivotal events in the 1950s that marked the country’s journey to independence, the board said.
These included “political conversations, activities and decisions” by the nation's founding leaders that “profoundly influenced the trajectory of Singapore's independence movement and its subsequent national history”.
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo intends to gazette the site as a national monument, after considering the advisory board's assessment and the National Heritage Board's (NHB) recommendation, according to a joint statement from NHB and the Singapore Land Authority.
The announcement marks the latest development in a saga that has unfolded since Mr Lee's death on Mar 23, 2015.
The property was his home from 1950 until his death, and where his three children – Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the late Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang – grew up.
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HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
In the 1950s, 38 Oxley Road was where various individuals came to seek Mr Lee's help and legal advice, “often in relation to political action”.
These consultations addressed major events such as the British colonial administration's arrest of journalist Abdul Samad Ismail in 1951, the 1952 Singapore Post and Telegraph Uniformed Staff Union strike, and the 1954 National Service riots.
Some of those who met Mr Lee, including trade unionists, later became his key collaborators and important figures in Singapore's independence movement, the statement said.
From early 1953, the basement dining room hosted regular secret discussions among Mr Lee, Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr S Rajaratnam and Mr K M Byrne on forming a new political party.
The group gradually expanded to include other figures who would become key leaders of Singapore's independence movement, such as Mr Abdul Samad lsmail, Mr Devan Nair, Mr Lim Chin Siong and Mr Fong Swee Suan.
“The site witnessed these discussions involving key founding leaders of independent Singapore, that shaped the course of Singapore's national history,” the statement said.
“It was through these meetings that the founding leaders formulated their political vision, plans and values, and where they organised the transition towards self-government.”
The site later became the first headquarters of the People’s Action Party after it was founded in 1954, up until 1959 when the party won its first General Election and established self-governance in Singapore.
The statement highlighted the “simplicity” of the site, which “attests to the values of prudence, pragmatism and discipline exemplified by Singapore's founding leaders”.
“As a physical marker, 38 Oxley Road would allow present and future generations of Singaporeans to connect with and reflect on the deliberations and decisions made by Singapore's founding leaders, the gravity and impact of pivotal events that led Singapore to independence, as well as the ideals and values that have come to shape Singapore today,” the statement said.
Monday’s announcement came slightly more than a year after NHB said in October 2024 that it would study the Oxley Road site to assess whether it merited preservation as a national monument.
Continue reading...