This is the day – 23 March 2015 at 3.18am

I woke up at 4.30am because of my back pain and saw the news. The passing of the great man, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. As a little girl, I knew him through my father. My father never misses his great appetite for news. English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, he watches them all. Don’t know whether he understands the Tamil news but he still watches them. Then there is the National Day rallies. My father never misses them too.

I do not deny that this was a great man. I admire his courage to fight for what he believed in but sadly, he didn’t quite rub that on the citizens. Most Singaporeans have the herd mentality. Just follow, if the ship ain’t broken, why fixed it. That is why, sometimes, I feel that I am a loner. I don’t know how to function under red tapes and bureaucracies, systems and policies. Perhaps, he was too great a man. Would Singapore be much better if he had allowed more great men to work with him? I will never know, we will never know.

While everyone was praying for speedy recovery, I said my short prayer of letting him go in peace. I prayed for God’s mercy on him. He never did believe in God but he said this in Dec 2005… “I believe a man or a woman who has a deep faith in God has an enormous strength facing crises, an advantage in life." So, even a great man like him knew that basic truth. Not sure if he changed his mind later in life.

At age 91, he has lived a good life. I believe he ate well, we all knew that he exercised a lot and faithfully. He had the best medical care. I mean, who could afford having a mechanical ventilator since February? I think if they love him, pray and let him go in peace and he did today.  All the great words about this great man. All the wonderful thank yous and gratitude uttered, why wait till the man’s final hours. Tell him while he was strong and alive. That’s why I always think eulogy should be done before the person passes on.  I shall not mourn his death but instead will celebrate his life. Be grateful that I am around to witness the changes he made – the good and the bad. I lived through the 60s to the 90s and until today. The 80s were the best. It would have been better if he had kept some history for the younger generation to enjoy.

No one is perfect as long as he calls himself human.