The site at 38 Oxley Road (the “Site”) bore witness to pivotal events in the 1950s that marked Singapore’s transition from a colony to an independent nation. It was also the home of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew from 1950 until his death in 2015.
In the 1950s, various individuals came to the Site to seek help and legal consultations with Mr Lee Kuan Yew, often in relation to political action such as the British colonial administration’s arrest of Mr Abdul Samad Ismail in 1951, the 1952 Singapore Post and Telegraph Uniformed Staff Union strike, and the 1954 National Service riots. Some of the individuals and trade unionists whom Mr Lee Kuan Yew met became his key collaborators and important figures in Singapore’s independence movement.
From early 1953, regular secret discussions among Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr S Rajaratnam, and Mr K. M. Byrne took place primarily in the Basement Dining Room, on the feasibility of forming a new political party. The group gradually expanded to include other figures who would also become key leaders of Singapore’s independence movement, such as Mr Abdul Samad Ismail, 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. 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 was the People’s Action Party’s (“PAP”) first headquarters from its founding in 1954, to 1959 when the PAP won its first General Election, and established self-governance in Singapore.
The events and people associated with the Site were significant in shaping the course of Singapore’s history. This makes the Site a unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence, which is not replicated in any other site or monument. Despite its historical associations and strong national significance, the simplicity of the Site 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.
