before merger

Question 1

why did pap pursue merger

Answer 1

• political reasons (independence)
• economic reasons (losing significance as entrepôt port)
• resolve struggle for leadership

Question 2

how would merger grant singapore political independence?

Answer 2

• british would only grant singapore independence if it merged with malaya
• otherwise british would continue maintaining control of sg
• merger would provide greater political stability through the formation of a new federation to safeguard territories from the spread of communism

Question 3

why did british want to retain control of singapore

Answer 3

• afraid that it would fall under communist control given influences from china and rising movements in indonesia and vietnam
• singapore was strategically important to british, subjecting singapore to communist takeover would cause them to lose their assets in singapore
• would not grant singapore independence as long as the communist threat remained a threat

Question 4

why was merger with malaya ideal to stem spread of communism?

Answer 4

• malaya had successfully contained communist insurgents in the country when it fought the malayan emergency in 1948
• merger with anti-communist nation would provide political security needed to protect singapore and keep its communist threat under control

Question 5

why was singapore dying economically

Answer 5

• singapore lacked natural resources and was facing unemployment issues
• declining entrepôt trade as neighbouring countries became independent and wanted to direct their exports through their own ports, reducing singapore’s importance as a regional trading port

Question 6

why was malaya significant to singapore

Answer 6

• served as an inland area supplying her with resources needed for entrepôt trade
• needed as a hinterland which had raw goods needed to sustain economic development

Question 7

how would merger ensure singapore’s economic survival

Answer 7

• malayan government introduced tariffs in the 1950s on goods made in singapore, making them more expensive and less desirable to customers in malaya
• merger could allow common market to be established to create a larger demand for singapore’ goods and increase trade and jobs

Question 8

how would merger resolve lee kuan yew’s struggle for leadership

Answer 8

• communists had opposed merger (to ensure their own survival) and challenged his leadership
• if lee kuan yew managed to achieve merger despite the opposition, he would become the undisputed leader of the pap and credibility of the leftist faction would be destroyed

Question 9

why did tunku oppose merger initially

Answer 9

• racial imbalance
• threat of communism

Question 10

why did the potential racial imbalance deter tunku from accepting merger

Answer 10

• predominantly chinese population in sg may be reluctant to accept malay sultan, use malay as national language, accept islam as state religion
• addition of so many chinese would cause the chinese to outnumber the malays in the federation, upsetting racial balance of power
• larger chinese electorate posed a threat to umno’s political dominance since it was a pro-malay party

Question 11

why did communist threat deter tunku from accepting merger?

Answer 11

suspected that many chinese had sympathies toward communism and that these attitudes would spread to the rest of the federation

Question 12

why did tunku eventually accept merger

Answer 12

• racial imbalance addressed
• fear of independent, communist singapore that could make it more dangerous than if it were to join the federation
• pap loss in hong lim by-election
• prospect of larger territory for more power and revenue
• loss in anson by-election

Question 13

how would addressing of racial imbalance lead to tunku’s acceptance of merger

Answer 13

• with the addition of sabah and sarawak into the federation, many indigenous people and malays would be added and chinese would be outnumbered
• allow umno to hold onto political power longer than it would be able to otherwise

Question 14

how would the fear of an independent communist singapore lead to tunku’s acceptance of merger

Answer 14

• leaving singapore alone could subject it to a communist takeover
• he could lose his representative in the internal security countries (isc) if singapore became independent, causing him to lose influence over security matters in singapore
• if pap was taken over by a government sympathetic towards communism, it may be less willing to consider a merger on terms acceptable to malaya
• if singapore became communist, it could influence others to consider a communist government as well

Question 15

how did tunku think he could help maintain internal security in singapore

Answer 15

• communist elements in singapore could be controlled by the malaya government, making singapore less dangerous

Question 16

brief description of hong lim by-election

Answer 16

• pap candidate ong eng guan began to fall out of favour within PAP as his actions were not in line with the party’s directions
• one day he openly challenged pap leadership , leading to his suspension and expulsion from the party
• empty seat in legislative assembly triggered by-election
• he contested in the by-election as an individual candidate and won by a large margin

Question 17

why did pap loss in hong lim by-election lead to tunku’s acceptance toward merger

Answer 17

• signalled increasing divide between the radical and moderate factions of the PAP, with the moderates losing influence
• afraid that radical group would gain control of the party and free singapore from colonial rule
• could use singapore as a base to spread communist ideas

Question 18

how would prospect of larger territory for more power and revenue lead to tunku’s acceptance toward merger

Answer 18

• becoming the leader of a 4-country federation would boost his credibility and ego
• more malays to vote for him would allow him to hold onto political power longer
• discovered profitable oil and gas deposits off sabah and sarawak seas which he could take advantage of and use to generate income

Question 19

describe anson by-election

Answer 19

• after tunku announced his support for merger, the by-election was held
• pro-communists sabotaged the pap candidate by asking voters to vote for the opposing candidate, resulting in their loss

Question 20

how did pap loss in anson by-election lead to tunku’s acceptance toward merger

Answer 20

• cemented his decision to support merger
• felt that he needed to save singapore from the communists