Goodbye, Lee Kuan Yew!

Singapore, March 25, 2015.

After the death of Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015) on March 23, 2015, a city of about 5.5 million people took to the streets to bid farewell to the architect of the Singaporean miracle. Over the course of a week, 1.7 million people took part in the mourning events, including those who queued to pay their respects at the coffin. The organization was of the highest level: free water distribution, specially arranged transport, controlled crowd flows, and numerous air-conditioned spaces and memorial sites. The new Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong—Lee Kuan Yew’s son—freely came out to the people and greeted them in person.

Singapore demonstrated the ultimate efficiency and apparent democratic nature of a system that, however, was built on strict restrictions. For example, Section 377A of the Penal Code, criminalizing male homosexual relations, remained in force until it was repealed only in 2022. Lee Kuan Yew is often described as an enlightened dictator. Many of the residents I spoke with, who had come to pay their respects, said this directly.