Deed of gift for LKY items given to PM Lee in his official capacity: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE — National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday (Jun 23) that the deed of gift for items belonging to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew — which were donated to the National Heritage Board (NHB) — was given to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his official capacity.

And if PM Lee had asked for the information in his private capacity, “he would have been entitled to know about the exhibition and the items from the estate, given his position as the eldest son of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew and beneficiary of the estate”, Mr Wong said.

Given that the items were displayed in “a major public exhibition by the NHB concerning Singapore’s founding leaders” including Mr Lee Kuan Yew,  Mr Wong said that the event was “a matter for deliberation by the Government”.

“It would therefore be normal and in order, that the Prime Minister be kept informed about the contents and presentation of the exhibition,” he said, adding that he will give “fuller explanation on the matter” when Parliament sits on July 3.

Seeking to clear the air on issues surrounding the deed, Mr Wong noted the “several misperceptions” being circulated, although he did not specify what these were.

Earlier, PM Lee’s siblings – Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang – had said that they executed the deed in 2015, following Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s death, for the donation and public exhibition of “significant items” from the Lee family home at 38 Oxley Road, “with a stipulation that Lee Kuan Yew’s wish for the demolition of 38 Oxley Road be displayed prominently at the exhibition”.

But after the gift’s acceptance, they "soon received letters with spurious objections from Hsien Loong’s then personal lawyer, Lucien Wong". Among other things, Mr Lucien Wong cited PM Lee’s objections to clauses “restricting how NHB may display” the items, and these unduly hamper the agency’s work.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang had questioned whether PM Lee acquired the deed in his public capacity, or his private capacity. “If in his public capacity, to use this in his personal legal disputes is a clear abuse of authority. If in his private capacity, how can other private citizens go about acquiring confidential deeds of gift from the NHB?” he said.

On Friday, Mr Lawrence Wong, who was helming the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth at that time, disclosed that the deed required NHB to display only part of the demolition clause, among other conditions.

“Unlike most donated items to our museums which are covered by NHB’s standard agreement, this deed of gift came with several unusual conditions,” he said. 

Detailing the conditions, Mr Lawrence Wong said the deed stipulated that the executors of the estate – Dr Lee and Mr Lee Hsien Yang - could buy back all the items for S$1, so long as 38 Oxley Road was not demolished, and that NHB had to display prominently, throughout the exhibition and its publicity materials, part of the demolition clause from Mr Lee’s will regarding his wishes for 38 Oxley Road.

“I had discussed the matter with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean then, and we were concerned about the partial quote of the demolition clause from Mr Lee’s will. But we eventually decided not to pursue the matter, and to let NHB proceed with the exhibition,” Mr Lawrence Wong said.

The demolition clause in Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s will had stated: “I further declare that it is my wish, and the wish of my late wife, KWA GEOK CHOO, that our house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 (“the House”) be demolished immediately after my death or, if my daughter, Wei Ling, would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out.

If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the law, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants. My view on this has been made public before and remains unchanged. My statement of wishes in this paragraph 7 may be publicly disclosed notwithstanding that the rest of my Will is private.”

Mr Lawrence Wong noted that the first part spells out the founding Prime Minister’s wish for the house to be demolished, while the second part stipulates his wish if the house could not be demolished due to any changes in the law, rules or regulations.  The deed required NHB to display the first part but not the second.

Responding with his own Facebook post on Friday, Mr Lee Hsien Yang accused Mr Wong of "not telling the whole truth" and said the NHB had initially accepted the conditions on June 8 2015 when the board's then CEO Rosa Huey Daniel reportedly signed for the deed.

The items to be donated were collected from the Oxley Road house on June 9 2015, but a day later, Ms Daniel wrote back to him to say that Mr Wong had changed his mind, Mr Lee added. 

Mr Lee also posted a screen-capture of an email that he and Dr Lee jointly sent Ms Daniel on June 10 that said: "We are shocked and disappointed that NHB is willing to breach a legally binding deed less than 48 hours after signing, and on the morning after many of the items have been collected.

"To come back one day later and seek to walk away as if no agreement had been executed is completely unacceptable to the Executors of the Estate if LKY. We do not accept the proposal by you to return the items."