Thank you, Minister Desmond Lee

Docomomo SG would like to express its gratitude to Minister Desmond Lee for our substantive partnership and collaboration over the years. Our first interactions with Minister Lee began in 2019 with our race to save the iconic Pearl Bank, since demolished. Building on lessons learnt in this partnership, Golden Mile Complex became Singapore’s first privately-owned large-scale Modernist building to be conserved - thanks in no small part to Minister Lee’s empathetic leadership in remediating an inclusive process to secure the best collective outcome possible at that time.

We continue to be motivated by Minister Lee’s speech at the 2019 mASEANa Conference where he recognised the historical importance of our modernist buildings, noting that “collectively, they embody the ambition and energy of a newly-independent nation. They stand as reminders of our turbulent and progressive years, when Singapore first forged a future for ourselves.” In this same speech, Minister Lee stressed the importance of us working together, and how it takes “an entire ecosystem to build a city with unique character and identity.”

Thank you Minister Lee for walking this talk and allowing us to collaborate so successfully. At a recent press conference, PM Wong described how Minister Lee “brings a quiet but effective style of leadership. He listens, actively and persistently, and he engages widely with stakeholders and takes decisive actions when needed.” Docomomo SG witnessed this inclusive leadership first-hand to secure the architectural legacy of our post-independence history for all Singaporeans.

We look forward to working with Minister Lee in his new role as Education Minister to champion heritage education amongst the young. We also look forward to working with incoming Minister Chee Hong Tat to achieve new heights, building on our collaborative track record with MND and URA to achieve high-integrity outcomes for our modern heritage.

Photo credit: Feng Yikang taken at mASEANa conference held at URA Centre in November 2019, where Minister Lee was guest of honour.