I count myself fortunate having been alive during the lifetime of Lee Kuan Yew. I have actually seen with my own eyes how the transformation of Singapore was done.

When he was alive, stories were rife about how strict and stern he was. How uncompromising his position was, woe be those who tried to oppose him. His very presence in the same room as you would cause balls to shrink and you started to squeal like a little girl (yes it’s just an exaggeration).

Like everyone else, we don’t know what we have, until we no longer have it. Lee Kuan Yew passed away on 23 March 2015, and suddenly, the guiding light of Singapore was extinguished. What happened next was unexpected, and unprecedented.

People from all over Singapore came to Parliament House to pay last respects. Not a few thousands mind you – HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. All in all, in the 4 days, over 1.2 million people have paid tribute to him, with something like 450,000 having done so in person at Parliament House. Putting that in context, that is 20% of the entire population of Singapore (foreigners included) have paid their last respects to him.

Queues to see him sprung up SPONTANEOUSLY. There were no cops nor “people with authority” around to tell them where to queue. They just did by themselves. In the blazing sun, in the cold of night. Businesses along the queue line did something I bet no other businesses would do in other countries – they GAVE AWAY products for free. At first it was just small gestures like free iced-water for the thirsty. Later on it became small snacks, cakes, buns and pastries, and even flowers. A taxi driver was even offering free rides for those paying respects, to any destination.

In all this time, there were no fights, no arguments, nobody had anything stolen. On the contrary, we hear stories about people sharing their umbrellas, their food, their drinks, with fellow Singaporeans who did not have those. We hear of people queuing up for 6, 8, even 10 hours, and saying “it is the least I can do after what he has done for Singapore”. And what did they get for their hours upon hours in the queue? 10 seconds face-time with the dead  “dictator”. Everyone was gently nudged along, ever moving to clear as many people as possible. In the live feed, we can see that many bowed, some saluted, some went on their knees and kow-towed.

The 4 Vigil Guards were also affected, mind you. Photo of one had been circulating online, where an orderly helped to wipe away his tears while he remained perfectly still.

Singaporeans who are overseas, gathered at Consulates and Embassies to pay tribute.

If Lee Kuan Yew was a dictator, he sure was loved by his “oppressed subjects”.

And, for any Western reader that might happen to chance upon this blog entry, there were no “secret police” going around waving guns and getting people to pay tribute. Especially not for those overseas, who had already “escaped the tyranny”.

On his funeral day, 29 March 2015, it started pouring with rain. Not the weak kind of drizzle where you skip along holding hands romantically with your girlfriend kind. It’s the kind that made you wet all the way through. The kind that if the raindrops hit your bare skin, it actually hurt. Yet, people thronged the streets, along the 15.4km stretch that his body would travel to NUS for the service. Umbrellas or ponchos (wet-weather overalls), they all were used. And the people stayed, and waited.

Russia, India and New Zealand flew their national flags at half-mast for his funeral. To my recollection, I have never ever seen anyone else having such impact that even other countries would lower their flags for him. Heads of states from US to Japan to Thailand, to name a few, were all present for his funeral.

While I may not agree with some of his policies, there is no denying that he was, truly, a giant among men. A founding father of modern Singapore.

In the past few days, we see the legacy of Mr Lee Kuan Yew in action – efficiency (setting up queue lines, passing out of drinks and food etc), unity and cohesiveness. In death he had managed to bring about the vision he wanted when he was alive. And we’ve just proven that he had succeeded.

Goodbye Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Thank you for your service. It is now time for you to rest.