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INDEPENDENCE

"For me, it is a moment of anguish

because all my life...

I believed in merger and the unity

of the two territories."

 

LEE KUAN YEW

In his first interview as Prime Minister of

a newly-independent Singapore

"A military base, the fact that an island of 224 square miles would be easily controlled militarily, and that although it may be difficult to deny to 7 millions in 50000 square miles of the Federation [of Malaya] up in revolt, it well may be possible to mantain power for quite some time in an island of 224 square miles. And so by the fancy of planners and map-makers in London, we are today out on a limb, the victim of a freak man-made frontier."

 

- Lee Kuan Yew, in a speech to the Guild of Nanyang University Graduates on November 6 1960 before merger

In 1962, Lee managed to call a referendum on whether to join Malaysia or not and under what terms if Singapore were to join Malaysia. People were encouraged to choose option A (the Singapore flag) as Singapore would stay as an autonomous state in Malaysia, with freedom over education and labour issues. Despite a Communist-led effort to boycott the referendum, only 25.48% of the submitted votes were blank. 95.82% of valid votes were marked as Option A.

In the 1960s, Lee Kuan Yew advocated merger with Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah. This was due to a few reasons. Firstly, he wanted to end Communist hopes of establishing a Marxist state in Singapore. Secondly, he wanted to establish a Common Market with Malaysia so that goods could be traded freely. Finally, he knew that Britian would eventually withdraw and knew that Singapore needed to be part of a larger entity to survive.

"The verdict of the people is a terrifying thing for the politically dishonest.

The verdict is decisive.

It is the seal of public and pouplar approval for merger and Malaysia.

We are off to a good start."

 

Lee Kuan Yew

When announcing the referendum results outside the Singapore Badminton Club (above)

BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE

 

Many factors forced the Tunku to

evict Singapore out of the Federation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE

 

On July 27, in Kuala Lumpur, Dr Goh Keng Swee passed an authorisation letter from Lee Kuan Yew to the Tunku, paving the way for Singapore to secede from Malaysia. Law Minister E.W. Barker drafted the documents needed for separation. The separation agreement was signed on the 7th of August. Lee Kuan Yew sent coded messages to Commonwealth Prime Ministers informing them of Singapore's secession.

 

On 9th August, the Tunku went to the Malaysian Parliament and explained to the MPs his actions. There was a vote on Singapore's independence. The final result was a unanimous one (126 to 0).

 

Then, at 10 a.m. on the 9th of August 1965, the Proclaimation of Singapore was read over radio and telivision. Nobody was aware of the happenings behind the scenes. Just as Mr Lee Hisen Loong said 50 years after the separation in his National Day Speech, 

 

"Our forefathers went to bed oblivious."

 

The separation came as a shock to many, but our pioneers sought comfort in Mr Lee's calm but resolute vioce. In his last words at the Broadcasting House at Caldecott Hill, he announced, 

 

"We unite regardless of race, language, religion, culture."

 

That was a promise that has been fufiled.

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