Chapter 8:

How did Singapore Become an Independent Nation?

After the attainment of full internal self-government in 1959, independence from the British was the next step. This would occur through merger with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak, forming the Federation of Malaysia. However, only two years later, Singapore would separate from Malaysia.

In this chapter you will learn:

Why Singapore wanted to merge with Malaya in 1963
Why there was opposition to the merger
How Singapore successfully pursued merger with Malaya
What led to Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965

PAP's Pursuit of Merger

Recount by Patrick Ng

Patrick Ng was a teenager when political struggles were gripping. As he remembered of 1961: "We could not at that time, survive without Malaysia."

Recount by Lim Eng Chuan

Although living in peaceful times now, Eng Chuan cannot forget what his parents said when he was in primary school, “This is not our home, one day we should go back to China.”

Malaya's Response

"The idea of co-opting Singapore into Malaysia was initially resisted by Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was then the prime minister of Malaya. It was a heavy price for the Tunku to pay as a union with Singapore would cause the sheer number of Chinese in Singapore to displace the Malays in the federation as the majority. However, the price of not agreeing to the merger with Singapore was heavier as the political instability in Singapore and the Borneo territories due to communist subversion and radical left-wing movements was threatening to engulf Malaya as well."

Taken from History SG by NLB

Battle for Merger

Agreement on Proposed Merger

As the Tunku came around to the idea of merger, discussions began. The agreed-upon terms of the proposed merger is shown in the diagram. There were some people who opposed merger on these terms.

Although the British, the Tunku, and Lee Kuan Yew had arrived on the same page, the road to merger was not yet secure as there was fierce opposition to the proposed merger from some groups in Singapore. Looking at the proposed terms, what do you think they might be unsatisfied with? Write your response under the appropriate shelf at this Padlet.

Opposition from Barisan Sosialis

Lee Siew Choh Parliamentary Questions on Merger.mp4

A number of PAP members strongly opposed the proposed merger, such as Lim Chin Siong and Lee Siew Choh (pictured). These members were expelled, and went on to found a new party, the Barisan Sosialis Singapura. This is an audio transcript of questions that Lee Siew Choh posed to the PAP during a sitting of the Legislative Assembly.

Transcript of Radio Forum on Citizenship 18 Aug 1962.pdf

Debates and discussions between both sides carried on for a long time. This is an excerpt of a transcript of a radio forum between Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Siew Choh, and David Marshall (previous Chief Minister of Singapore).

PAP's Campaign

The PAP also embarked on a year-long campaign to convince people of the need for merger. As part of this, Lee Kuan Yew gave a series of 12 radio talks in 1961 called The Battle for Merger. You may use the time slider to hear different parts of the first speech in this video.

Referendum

The PAP-led government conducted a referendum on 1 September 1961 to gather the people's opinion on the merger. There were three options which described merger on different terms. There was no option for not merging with Malaysia, and the Barisan Sosialis urged people to cast blank votes. Nonetheless, 71% of votes were in favour of PAP's preferred option, while blank votes made up 26%.

Merger, 1963

The Proclamation of Malaysia and the Proclamation of Singapore Joining Malaysia were read on 16 September 1963 at the Padang. The billboard in the background depicts a crowd being led by individuals of different ethnic groups linking arms. This points to the multiracial aspirations that Singapore had for Malaysia.

Separation, 1965

Even though merger was pursued with great effort, it immediately encountered difficulties. These included economic disagreements, political differences, and racial tensions. Eventually, this would lead to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia on 9th August, 1965.

Considering that our merger with Malaysia only lasted two years, do you think merger was a mistake to begin with for Singapore? Why? Respond in the Padlet.

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