(Bloomberg) -- The youngest son of Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is seeking permission from authorities to demolish his late father’s home in the latest escalation of a bitter feud over the fate of the country’s most high-profile property.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Lee Hsien Yang said he is applying to demolish the house at 38 Oxley Road and thereafter build a small private residence, to be held within the family, to honor his parents’ last wishes.
Read: Why Feud Over Home of First Singapore Leader Drags On: QuickTake
His remarks come a week after the death of his sister Lee Wei Ling, who had been living in the residence. The siblings have been embroiled in a years-long dispute with their elder brother, Lee Hsien Loong, over whether to demolish their father’s colonial-era house.
The government “will carefully consider issues related to the property in due course, taking into account Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and the public interest, including considering any applications with regard to the property,” the Ministry of National Development said in an emailed response to Bloomberg News.
The new chapter in the private-turned—public dispute now threatens to become another political headache for Hsien Loong’s successor Lawrence Wong, who took over as prime minister in May. Wong, who must call for elections by late 2025, has been busy trying to manage cost-of-living concerns and navigate stormy US-China relations.
(Adds government’s comments in fourth paragraph.)
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