struggle for merger Flashcards
1
Q
what were the key points of the proposed merger
A
- singapore would join as an autonomous state and have control over itself except in terms of internal security, external affairs and defence (federal government would oversee)
- singapore would have its own head of state
- citizens could only vote in elections held in singapore
- singapore citizens given title of ‘federal nationals’ instead of ‘federal citizens’
- singapore would have control over education and labour matters and civil service
2
Q
how was the barisan sosialis formed
A
- leftist faction of pap opposed merger as they felt that terms were unfavourable
- got support from other pap members to challenge lky’s leadership and succeeded in winning over 13
- pap called for motion of confidence of government to decide if lky was to stay prime minister
- lky won narrowly by 1 vote, 13 members who abstained and did not support motion were expelled
- established a new party called barisan sosialis
3
Q
why did barisan sosialis oppose merger
A
- concerned that citizenship would not be automatically granted to singapore citizens
- singapore only allocated 15 seats in federal parliament, not proportional to population size (supp to have 24), under representation sign of second-class status
- merger would make it harder for communists to disguise the fact that they wanted to establish a communist government
- malaya government could clamp down on them since they had control of internal security
4
Q
which countries opposed merger
A
brunei, philippines, indonesia
5
Q
why did brunei decide against joining federation
A
- did not want to share its plentiful resources so that it could keep its oil and revenue for itself
6
Q
why did philippines oppose merger
A
- felt that it had a rightful claim to north borneo (sabah)
- did not recognise malaysia
7
Q
why did indonesia oppose merger
A
- felt merger would give british continued control over territories in federation
- felt that sabah and sarawak came under its influence
- launched konfrontasi policy to cause instability to states that were to form federation
8
Q
how did pap campaign for merger
A
- radio talks
- exhibitions
9
Q
how did pap use radio talks to campaign
A
- exposed communists for what they were and revealed their true intentions for opposing merger
- convinced public that if they supported merger they would be on winning side
- broadcasted 3 days a week in 3 different languages over a month
- allowed lky to reach people in a countries that were to join the federation
10
Q
how did pap use exhibitions to campaign
A
- highlighted benefits of merger
- showcased cultural and social ties among territories and expose visitors to lives and cultures of people + trade and commerce of territories
11
Q
how did pap overcome barisan sosialis’s opposition
A
- lky renegotiated the terms for merger with tunku and persuaded him to accept all singapore citizens as malaysia citizens
- deprived barisan sosialis of their main argument to oppose merger
12
Q
describe referendum
A
- held on 1 september 1962
- carried out to find out what type of merger the people wanted
- 3 options, a (pap) b (bs) and c (lyh)
- option a won with 71% of votes, b and c at 1.6% and 1.4% (rest were blank)
13
Q
how did barisan sosialis try to interfere with the referendum
A
- told supporters to boycott the referendum (but rest of voters would choose option a)
- then told them to submit blank votes (but would be taken as follow majority)
- supporters confused as to why they opposed merger but proposed option b and whether they should vote for it
- called it a ‘sham’ as there was no option for no merger which did not reflect free will of the people
14
Q
describe operation coldstore
A
- carried out to try to remove communist threat of singapore
- internal security council detained >100 people including barisan sosialis members for attempting to sabotage the formation of malaysia and planing to launch an uprising in singapore
- merger allowed pap to break away from pro-communist faction that had become a threat to the pap
- could not flush out pro-communists easily as it ran the risk of being alienated by the chinese whose views gravitated to those who appealed to their sense of chinese chauvinism, had to wait for time to be right
15
Q
effect of operation coldstore?
A
- barisan sosialis was weakened by arrest of its leaders
- affected its performance in subsequent 1963 election where it only won 13 seats while the pap won 37