Chapter 8 - Merger and Separation [How Did Singapore Become An Independent Nation?] Flashcards
Why did the PAP pursue merger with Malaya?
How did the merger for the formation of the Federation of Malaya come into being?
-[Political Independence]: It was the only way the British would let go of control over Singapore.
-PAP believed that Singapore could not survive economically in the long term without a merger
-The British were fearful of rising communism in SEA, and thus they sought to provide greater political stability through the formation of a new federation comprising Malaya, SG, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei.
Why did Singapore not appear to have a promising future?
Why was the amount of trade between Singapore and Malaya reduced?
How would merger ensure Singapore’s economic survival?
-It lacked natural resources, had a rapidly growing population in need of jobs, and faced a declining entrepôt trade.
-The Malayan government’s introduction of tariffs in goods traded with Singapore made goods from Singapore entering Malaya more expensive and thus less desirable to customers in Malaya.
-If a common market could be established through merger, the Malayan hinterland would create a large demand for Singapore’s manufactured goods. Trade would increase and more jobs could be created for the people.
What was Malaya’s initial response to a possible merger?
What made Tunku Abdul Rahman feel this way?
-Hesitation
-Tunku was hesitant and thought that merger with Singapore spelt trouble. This was because he say stark racial differences between the people in Singapore and Malaya. He thought that the predominantly Chinese population in Singapore would be reluctant to accept the Malay culture. He was also worried about how a merger with Singapore would change the racial makeup of the new federation, as it would result in the combined Chinese population outnumbering the Malays. He also suspected that many Chinese in Singapore supported communist ideals, and that their ideals would spread to the rest of the new federation.
What made Tunku change his mind and begin to support the idea of merger with SG?
-Fear of an Independent, communist Singapore
-Hong Lim By-Election
Elaborate on how fear of an independent, communist-influenced Singapore led Tunku to be more accepting of the merger.
Tunku was scared that if they did not include SG in the merger, they would lose influence over security matters in SG, and the lack of a colonial government could make the threat of communism in SG harder to contain, resulting in others being influenced. He also worried that the PAP could have communist moles, which would result in a government less willing to consider merger. It also dawned on him that merging with SG would allow Malaya to have more control over the communist elements in SG.
When was the Hong Lim By-Election
Who is Ong Eng Guan? How did Tunku feel about the election?
-1961
Ong Eng Guan was an independent candidate contesting the PAP in the Hong Lim By-Election, after his fallout with the PAP in 1960 when he challenged their leadership. Ong defeated the PAP’s candidate, making Tunku notice the increasing divide within the PAP. While some of the PAP had moderate views, the group, where Ong belonged, had radical ideals and pushed for drastic changes, seemingly willing to use force. This made Tunku fear that the moderate group was losing influence in the PAP and the radical group would gain control and free SG from the British, forcefully establishing a communist government, then using SG as a base to spread communist ideals in Malaysia
What effect did the territories Brunei, North Borneo and Sarawak have on the federation of Malaysia that was appealing to the Tunku?
What year did discussions on the merger begin between the Tunku and Lee Kuan Yew?
Why did the radical group within the PAP sabotage the PAP in the Anson By-election in 1961?
-Bringing in these territories helped to offset Singapore’s Chinese majority.
-1961
-They felt that once Singapore merged with Malaya, they would be put down by Malaya’s federal government, who controlled internal security.
What are the key points of the proposed merger?
People:
-Singapore would have its own head of state
-SG citizens would be given the title of “federal nationals” instead of “federal citizens”
-Sg would hold its own elections to choose their own state government. SG citizens would only be able to vote in SG elections.
Internal and external matters:
-SG would take money out of its revenue and pay Kuala Lumpur (KL) an agreed-upon sum to cover the cost of federal services
-SG would have control over its education and labour matters, and its own civil service
-The federal government, stationed in KL, would oversee SG’s defence, internal security and dealings with foreign governments
Why did some PAP members oppose the merger?
How was the Barisan Sosialis (established 1961) formed?
-The members felt that the terms were unfavourable to SG locals.
-Since they were against the merger, they attempted to get support from other PAP members to challenge PMLKY’s leadership. They were unsuccessful and later expelled from the PAP. The expelled members went on to establish a new party: the Barisan Sosialis.
Why did the Barisan Sosialis feel that the terms of the merger were unfavourable to SG locals?
-They felt that the status of the SG population within the new federation was an issue.
They were concerned that citizenship would not be automatically granted to Singapore citizens. The people in SG would simply be called “federal nationals”, only allowed to vote in Singapore elections.
-The allocation of seats in the federal parliament was also a problem.
Singapore had less seats than North Borneo and Sarawak, despite having a greater population. They felt that SG’s under-representation in the parliament was a sign of its second-class status.
What did the Barisan Sosialis do to oppose the proposed merger?
The PAP embarked on a _________ campaign to convince people of the need to merge with Malaya.
PM Lee gave a series of________ called the _________
The PAP also used _____ to highlight the benefits of a merger
-They organised student demonstrations and labour strikes. Some party leaders also debated issues on the proposed merger on radio forums.
-year-long
-radio talks, The Battle for Merger
-exhibitions
A _______ was held on 1/9/1962 following the end of PAP’s campaigns. Voters were given three options, each proposing a different _______. The Barisan Sosialis _______ all three options and_______.
Referendum, form of merger, opposed, urged people to cast blank votes
What was Operation Coldstore? What year was it?
In 1963, SG’s Internal Security Council arrested many members of the Barisan Sosialis, accusing them of attempting to sabotage the formation of Malaysia, as well as planning to launch an uprising in SG. This greatly weakened the Barisan Sosialis.
What were the reactions to the formation of Malaysia outside of Singapore and Malaya?
North Borneo and Sarawak agreed to join Malaysia after findings from the _____ (1962) indicated that majority of the people wanted to join Malaysia.
The Konfrontasi was launched in year______
Brunei, the Philippines, and Indonesia: Opposed
North Borneo and Sarawak: Supportive
Cobbold Commission
1963
What was Brunei’s reaction to the formation of Malaysia? When did they gain independence from Britain?
What was the Philippines reaction to the formation of Malaya?
What was Indonesia’s reaction to the formation of Malaysia?
-They decided against joining Malaysia and gained independence from Britain in [1984].
-The Philippines did not recognise Malaysia, claiming that it had a rightful claim to North Borneo, and broke off relations with Malaya in 1963.
-They opposed the merger as it they felt it gave the British continued control over the federation, as well as gaining influence over North Borneo and Sarawak.
They broke off diplomatic & trade relations with Malaysia in 1963.
They launched Konfrontasi in 1963, which involved military attacks and other acts aimed at causing instability in the states that were to form the new federation.
