Saddam Hussein also had lots of awards when he was in power. The late Ida Amin decorated himself so much that his uniform became a beauty to behold.
Saddam Hussein did a bloody good job of maintaining law and order while he ran the show.
Look at the shit hole that Iraq has turned into since his demise. The country is in chaos.
Same applies to all the other "Arab Spring" countries.
Tito's Yugoslavia is another good example.
Culturally and religiously diverse societies need to be ruled with an iron hand and knuckle dusters in order to function. Singapore is no different.