Also the official language of the Federation according to its constitution.
State religion of the Federation.
Raja of Perlis. See also Monarchies of Malaysia.
Vice-regal representative.
Calling code changed to +65 upon independence. However, domestic access code to Malaysia remained in use until 1 July 2017.

Singapore (Malay: Singapura), officially called the State of Singapore (Malay: Negeri Singapura), was one of the 14 states that made up Malaysia. This was from 1963 to 1965. Malaysia was created on September 16, 1963. It joined the Federation of Malaya with the British colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore.

This merger ended 144 years of British rule in Singapore. Modern Singapore had been started by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. When Singapore joined Malaysia, it was the smallest state in land size. However, it had the largest population.

The union was not easy. There was a lot of distrust and different ideas between Singapore's leaders and Malaysia's federal government. They often disagreed about money, politics, and rules about different racial groups. Singapore faced many limits on trade. This was despite promises of a shared market. In return, Singapore had to give a large part of its tax money. Singapore then held back loans to Sabah and Sarawak.

In politics, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) from Malaysia and the People's Action Party (PAP) from Singapore started to get involved in each other's political areas. This was even though they had agreed not to. These disagreements led to serious unrest in Singapore in 1964. Some people believed UMNO and its Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu helped cause these problems. They were pushing for special help for Malays in Singapore.

All these problems led Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to decide to remove Singapore from the Federation. So, on August 9, 1965, Singapore became an independent country.

Joining Malaysia: The Story Before
- The Malaysia Agreement
The Merger Happens
Why Singapore Joined Malaysia
After the Merger
See also

Joining Malaysia: The Story Before

Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman

Singaporean politicians, like David Marshall in 1955, often asked Tunku Abdul Rahman about joining Malaya. But he kept saying no. The Tunku was worried about keeping the balance of different races in Malaya. He also wanted to protect UMNO's power and the political lead of Malays. If Singapore, with its large Chinese population, joined, the Chinese (3.6 million) would outnumber the Malays (3.4 million) in the new country. This would put the balance "at-risk."

However, the Tunku had an even bigger fear. He worried about Singapore being independent outside of Malaysia. Especially if a government unfriendly to him took control. Britain was slowly letting go of its colonies. Singapore was getting more self-rule. The Tunku feared Singapore might become too independent. He worried it could even become like a 'communist Cuba'. This fear grew stronger after a left-wing party won an election in Singapore in 1961.

The Tunku was also concerned about Indonesia. Under Sukarno, Indonesia was becoming very nationalistic. It was expanding its influence. This included actions like the Konfrontasi (also known as the Borneo confrontation).

With these thoughts, the Tunku started thinking about a merger as early as June 1960. He suggested a "Grand Design" that included Singapore and British Borneo. This would help his country grow in land, resources, and people. Also, combining the native people of Borneo with Malays from the peninsula would balance the number of Chinese from Singapore.

On May 27, 1961, the Tunku announced that Malaya, Singapore, and the Borneo territories could form a closer group. He wanted a full union, not just a trade agreement. He called this new country the Federation of Malaysia.

The Malaysia Agreement

The agreement had special rules for Singapore:

Singapore would manage its own education and labor. The federal government would handle defense, foreign affairs, and internal security.
Singapore would have 15 seats in the federal parliament. This was less than the 25 seats it should have had based on its voter numbers. This was in exchange for more self-rule.
Singapore would give 40% of its money to the federal government. It would also give a $150 million loan to the Borneo territories. Two-thirds of this loan would be interest-free for five years. A common market would be set up over twelve years.
Singapore citizens would also become Malaysian citizens. But they could only vote in Singapore.

The Merger Happens

The merger was first planned for August 31, 1963. This was to be Malaysia's official independence day. But Tunku Abdul Rahman delayed it to September 16, 1963. This was to allow the United Nations to check if North Borneo and Sarawak truly wanted to join. Indonesia had objected to Malaysia's formation.

Even so, on August 31, 1963, Lee Kuan Yew declared Singapore's independence by himself. This was done in front of a crowd in Singapore. On September 16, 1963, which was also Lee's fortieth birthday, he again stood before a crowd. This time, he announced Singapore was part of Malaysia. He promised loyalty to the Central Government and asked for "an honorable relationship between brothers."

Why Singapore Joined Malaysia

Freedom from Britain

Singapore joined Malaya to become independent from British rule. After the British took over Singapore in 1819, locals felt angry. The British failed to defend Singapore from Japan in 1942. This led to strong feelings against British rule after the war. There were strikes and riots in Singapore in the 1950s.

By joining Malaya, the British would have no reason to keep ruling Singapore. They could not use the threat of communism as an excuse. Only a merger with Malaya would free Singapore from British colonial rule. It would give Singapore full independence.

Economic Safety

Singapore also wanted to join Malaya for economic reasons. Singapore had serious unemployment problems in the early 1960s. By merging, Singapore hoped to solve this crisis. Unemployment was a big issue for the PAP government when it took power in 1959. Singapore lacked natural resources. Its people had low literacy rates. It also lacked a large surrounding area for trade. These issues made unemployment worse in the early 1960s.

Malaya was a large country with many natural resources. Singapore wanted to use Malaya's economic strengths. It suggested a common market plan that would help both countries. The PAP believed a merger would also help Singaporeans find jobs in Malaya. This would ease the unemployment problem. This policy helped the party stay in power in Singapore.

National Security

The merger also aimed to protect both Singapore and Malaya from communism. There was a state of emergency from 1948 to 1960. This showed the threat from communists. They wanted to replace British rule with a communist government.

The emergency rule ended in 1960. But Southeast Asian countries still faced a communist threat. Malaya was strongly anti-communist. It could offer Singapore safety from this threat. Singapore gained protection from a larger country. Malaya also felt safer. It worried less about Singapore falling to communists and becoming a base for them.

After the Merger

Money Disagreements

The Singapore and federal governments disagreed about money. Singapore had agreed to give 40% of its money to the federal government. It also gave loans to Sabah and Sarawak. In return, a common market was to be set up.

But in July 1965, Malaysia's Finance Minister suggested raising Singapore's payment to 60%. He hinted that the common market would be slow if Singapore did not agree. Singapore's Finance Minister, Goh Keng Swee, refused. He said Kuala Lumpur was putting taxes on Singapore-made goods. They also disagreed about the loans. Both sides agreed to ask the World Bank to help solve these issues.

Political Disagreements

The Malaysian federal government was mostly led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). They worried that if Singapore stayed, their policy of giving special help to Malays would be weakened. This policy aimed to reduce money differences between racial groups. This clashed with the PAP's promise for a "Malaysian Malaysia". This meant treating all races equally. The government should serve all Malaysian citizens, not just one race.

Another worry was that Singapore's busy port might make it too powerful. They feared Singapore could take economic and political power away from Kuala Lumpur over time.

Racial Tensions

Racial tensions grew quickly within a year. Many Chinese immigrants became citizens after independence. But Chinese people in Singapore did not like the federal policies. These policies gave special benefits to Malays. Islam was also made the only official religion. However, non-Muslims could still practice their faith freely.

Malays and Muslims in Singapore felt more and more upset. The federal government said the PAP was treating Malays badly. Many clashes between groups happened. Curfews were often put in place to restore order. These were called the 1964 race riots. The biggest and deadliest one was on July 21, 1964.

The price of food went up very high. This happened when transport was stopped during the unrest. This caused more hardship for people.

The situation outside the country was also tense. Indonesia was strongly against Malaysia's formation. President Sukarno of Indonesia started a "Konfrontasi" (Confrontation) against Malaysia. This included military actions. For example, the bombing of MacDonald House in Singapore in March 1965 killed three people. Indonesia also tried to cause trouble to turn Malays against Chinese people.

Separation

On August 7, 1965, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman saw no other way to avoid more trouble. He told the Parliament of Malaysia to vote to remove Singapore from Malaysia. PAP leaders, including Lee Kuan Yew, tried hard to keep Singapore in the union. But on August 9, 1965, the Parliament voted 126–0 to expel Singapore. Members of Parliament from Singapore were not there.

On that day, a tearful Lee announced that Singapore was a free, independent country. He became the first Prime Minister of the new nation. He said, "I mean for me it is a moment of anguish because all my life… you see the whole of my adult life… I have believed in merger and the unity of these two territories. You know it's a people connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship…"

Later that year, in December, new laws were passed. The new state became the Republic of Singapore. The representative, Yusof Ishak, became the first President. The Legislative Assembly became the Parliament of Singapore. These changes were made to apply from the day Singapore left Malaysia. The Malaya and British Borneo dollar was still used until the Singapore dollar was introduced in 1967.

In Malaysia, the 15 seats that Singapore had in Parliament were given to Malaya. Before separation, Singapore, Sabah (16 seats), and Sarawak (24 seats) together had 55 seats. This was 34% of the 159 seats. This was meant to stop Parliament from changing laws without their agreement. After Singapore left, Sabah and Sarawak only had 25% of the seats. They could no longer stop laws that might affect their special rights.

Singapore's separation made leaders in Sabah and Sarawak angry. They felt they were not asked for their opinion. Chief Minister of Sabah Fuad Stephens wrote to Lee Kuan Yew. He said he felt "completely lost and betrayed." In the Upper House, Ong Kee Hui questioned if Malaysia should even exist after Singapore left. He said the Malaysia Agreement was made by all parties. Abdul Razak Hussein, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, said the decision was kept secret because of the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation.

Singapore in Malaysia facts for kids

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