History eoy.pdf

- Basic inference question don't need to write contextual knowledge, up to 2 inferences. - Purpose inference needs 1) Message, or the main inference. (It is informative) 2) The evidence. 3) The impact or outcome on the target audience. (It is a response) 4) Contextual Knowledge...

- Basic inference question don't need to write contextual knowledge, up to 2 inferences. - Purpose inference needs 1) Message, or the main inference. (It is informative) 2) The evidence. 3) The impact or outcome on the target audience. (It is a response) 4) Contextual Knowledge to support/justify the impact/outcome - reliability skill needs 1) Message, or the main inference. (It is informative) 2) The evidence. 3) The impact or outcome on the target audience. (It is a response) 4) Contextual Knowledge to support/justify the impact/outcome. 5) The background of the author. we should evaluate whether the author has a hidden or selfish agenda (if there is no hidden agenda, eg. Concerned about the interest of others, it is reliable. If there is a hidden agenda, eg. Being selfish, it is unreliable). 6) infer source + evidence and explain and conclude that it is reliable. 7) Cross reference to a source in the Question or to Contextual knowledge. Identify what view you are checking first, and then explain how that particular source is similar or contrasting to the view. Cannot match quotes. (If it is similar, it is reliable. If it contradicts, it is unreliable) - do not write explanations and evidence in the same sentence. Separate them, as there is a tendency not to explain The Japanese used Force to control the people. 1. Meeting out harsh punishments a. People caught looting would have their heads cut off and hung publicly at the Cathay building or bridges across Singapore, to create fear and serve as severe warning. b. The kempeitai, which is the Japanese military police, arrested people suspected of being anti-Japanese. Food and cash rewards were also given to people who  inform the Japanese of people involved in anti-Japanese activities. This created fear and suspicion among people. People were also imprisoned, tortured and killed if they were suspected of being anti-Japanese, to create obedience to the Japanese. 2. Imprisoning Allied soldiers. a. The Japanese Imprisoned British, Australians and Allied Europeans in Singapore, including women and children. These prisoners of wars were forced to march in public from Bukit Timah road to Changi Prison and the barracks nearby to humiliate or torture them. 3. The Sook Ching Operation or the Sook Ching Massacre a. Is the brutal purge of members of the Chinese community suspected of being anti-Japanese. The Chinese were viewed by the Japanese as a potential source of opposition and a threat to their rule, as there was strong resistance from the Chinese when Japan invaded China in 1937. For example, in Singapore, the Chinese called for a boycott of Japanese goods, they contributed funds to China’s efforts against Japan, and some also went back to China to fight the Japanese. b. Hence the Japanese gathered Chinese men aged 18 to 50 to assemble at mass screening centres, like the former YMCA centre. c. According to Japanese sources, about 6000 people were killed, but according to other sources, between 25,000 to 50,000 people were killed. 4. Coercing Chinese business community a. Chinese businessmen were targeted due to their generous contributions to the China Relief Fund which supported China’s resistance against japan. b. The Overseas CHinese Association (OCA) was created as a channel of communication between the Chinese community and the Japanese government. c. The Japanese demanded OCA contribute 50 million Strait dollars to the Japanese Administration as a punishment for the chinese for supporting anti-Japanese war activities in China and also the British war efforts in Malaya and Singapore. The Japanese also tried to win loyalty of the citizens to control the people 1. They used propaganda. a. To influence the minds of people in Singapore and gain their loyalty, the Japanese portrayed themselves as liberators, to free the Asians from colonial rule.  b. The Japanese wanted to convince the locals to accept their vision of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, which is that Japan would free Asian nations from the control of Western colonial powers. The Japanese wanted to build a united Asia that would benefit from sharing resources collectively, so they spread their messages through posters and radio broadcasts. c. The Japanese also promised to free India of British rule. They formed the Indian National Army with Japan's support to fight against the British in India. The indians who refused to join and wanted to remain loyal to the British were Imprisoned 2. They provided benefits to the locals a. They provided schooling and accommodation at no cost, for example, textbooks were given free to 20,000 students in 1944. b. Some ethnic groups were treated less harshly than others, for example, the Malay nationalist organisation, Kesatuan Melayu Muda, responded positively to the Japanese promise of better lives for the Malays. Hence the needy malays were given rice, sugar, salt during hari Raya Puasa. The Malays and Indians were charged lower fees than Chinese to cross the Causeway. 3. They imposed Japanese culture on the citizens. a. They taught the Japanese language in schools daily, over the school’s broadcasting services. b. Japanese books for beginners were full of praise for the beauty and greatness of japan. Japanese culture was taught through the language, and teachers were required to attend language classes. c. Japanese language was also taught in newspapers. d. Competitions, awards, extra rations, salary increments and promotions were also used to motivate people to learn Japanese. e. Japanese were promoting the Japanese spirit to foster loyalty and identity. For example, during morning assembly, students had to sing ‘Kimigayo’, which is the Japanese national anthem, and bow to the photo of the Emperor. Students were also taught Japanese folk songs. f. Daily exercises were broadcast with instruction and rhythmic music to the public, to use physical education to instil discipline and promote fitness. Selected youths were also made to learn traditional Japanese martial arts like Kendo and Judo Life during the Japanese Occupation was a period of great hardship.  1. There was a shortage of food and essential items 2. There was food rationing on essential food items like rice, salt and sugar 3. The black market flourished as goods were bought and sold illegally at reasonable prices. 4. The overprinting of ‘banana notes’ creates the hyperinflation 5. There was poor healthcare and sanitation 6. People were weakened by food shortages. 7. Many diseases, like the beri beri, pneumonia and dysentery killed many people. 8. Between 1942 to 1945, there were almost 130,000 deaths. Prisoners of wars and civilian prisoners faced hunger, shortage of medicine and acute overcrowding. The prisoners of wars were used as forced labour to clear war damage, bury the dead, build Japanese memorial shrines, and built the Siam-Burma Railway which caused about 16,000 deaths Locals were encouraged to grow their own food for self-sufficiency, like vegetables, tapioca, and sweet potatoes. People were relocated to increase agricultural output, for example, the Chinese were encouraged to move to Endau settlements in Johor as the soil was rich and water supply was ample, so the people were successful at attaining self sufficiency. Another settlement was in Bahau, but the soil was poor and the land was too hilly. People resorted to eat rates and maggots In terms of leisure and entertainment, Radio programmes are played, like Japanese songs, Malay music, and news in Hokkien and Cantonese. Japanese movies and documentaries are screened in cinemas, and there were free open-air screenings of propaganda shows. The prisoners of wars also organised activities such as publishing a newspaper, organising theatrical performances, church services, and painting murals. Some locals wanted to collaborate with the Japanese. The Japanese sought support of Malays actively by giving them duties that would report on suspected hostile activity against the Japanese regime. Some Chinese also became informants for the Japanese soldiers during the Sook Ching Operation. However, other locals responded with resistance to the Japanese rule. For example, 7 senior officers of the Malay Regiment who refused to pledge loyalty to the Japanese were executed. The Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) and the Force 136 were born. Lim Bo Seng was a member of Force 136, and he trained for intelligence work. He died a war hero.  The MPAJA also took revenge on those who collaborated with the Japanese. The british returned and established the British Military Administration (BMA) to do the following, keep law and order, reconstruct post war Malaya and Singapore, and solve food shortages, economic difficulties, and schooling disruptions. On 9th September1945, Japanese surrendered to Malay and Singapore. About Chaos, - There was chaos weeks after the Japanese surrendered and before the return of the British troops - The Malayan People’s Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA) came out of the jungles and assumed control over Malaya while killing suspected traitors or Japanese collaborators. - The British also set up a British military Administration to cope with problems the Japanese had left behind. About disruption to economy - Crime was common and there was serious unemployment - The British government was faced with the task of rebuilding Malaya and Singapore. They had to re-establish tin and rubber industries, repair and rebuild bridges, docks, warehouses, and communication networks. About lowering the British prestige - The humiliating defeat of the British at the hands of the Japanese lowered much of the respect the people had of the former colonial ruler. - Subsequent hardship and trauma suffered by the people served by the people served to remind them of failure of the British to protect them - Confidence in the British rule was thus shaken. About the rise of communism - There are stronger threats of communists, as communists had helped in the war to set up the MPAJA. However the group was forced to break up after the war and each soldier was asked to surrender weapons and was given $350 for services during the war. About the change of British policy - There were Economic, social and political changes that occurred during and after the Japanese occupation. That necessitated a change in the policy of the British administrators towards Malaya and Singapore. - The British were now ready to prepare the people for independence. Merger in 1955, Singapore suggested a merger with Malaya but was rejected because merger would be disadvantageous to Malaya 1. The merger might hiner Malaya’s ability to maintain ethnic balance to ensure political stability in the country. a. If Singapore merges with Malaya without Sarawak and Sabah, then the total population of Chinese will be 3.6 million will surpass the 3.4 million Malays b. If Singapore mergers with Malaya, the PAP might get the other minority races and the Chinese to vote for them. This makes Singapore a strong opposition to the Malaya government, who want to maintain their strong control over the country. c. Furthermore, ethnic imbalance might cause riots and be detrimental to its people d. Malaya wanted to maintain ethnic balance to protect the Malays and keep the political power in the Malayan government’s hands 2. Malaya is afraid that the strong communism in Singapore would affect Malaya. a. When Singapore proposed merger, Malaya was still in the Malayan emergency, which was a terrorist attack carried out by the military arm of the Malayan communist party (MCP). This attack caused widespread destruction that caused around 11,000 to 12,000 deaths. b. Malaya was afraid of the second round of communist activity, and did not want to merge with Singapore as Singapore was the centre of communist activities in Southeast Asia. If Singapore becomes a communist country, widespread communism would affect Malaya. c. Malaya has sultans and royalty, while communism means everyone has equal rights and power. Hence the sultans and royalty will not have as much power as they did before and they dont want that. d. Malaya wanted to protect its people from the widespread communism in Singapore to ensure political stability and safety. Some people in Singapore wanted Singapore to be independent of British rule, but the British were concerned that Singapore would fall under communist control due to the instability caused by the strikes and riots. There was also a belief that by merging with Malaya, it would be easier to get independence from the British. People in merger 1. Lord Selkirk - UK commissioner to Singapore a. highest British authority in Singapore b. his approval was necessary for any constitutional change c. would place importance on stability in the region and want British interest to be protected 2. Tunku Abdul Rahman - PM of federation of Malaya a. Proposed the merger after rejected it in the past b. needed to protect the interest of the Malays c. wanted to remove the communist threat d. wanted Singapore to help develop the British Borneo territories 3. Lee Kuan Yew - PM of Singapore a. had always wanted Merger b. believed that merger was economically and politically necessary for Singapore survival c. needed to get the support of the people of Singapore for merger to be possible 4. Lim Chin Siong - Leftist member of PAP a. Was wary of merger b. He’s communist, merger meant the communist elements would be dealt with harshly as seen in malaya c. wanted to get the best deal possible for his fellow communists and Singapore, or get the people to reject merger. In 1961, Malaya wanted the merger because 1. To check communism in Singapore a. Malaya was afraid that the centre of communist activities, Singapore, would become a communist country and the communist would use Singapore to spread communism into Malaya as they were already commu in nist instigated strikes in Singapore like the Hock Lee Bus Riots b. in April 1961, the leftist party won the PAP in the by-election. Malaya was afraid that PAP might lose control over Signapore in the next election and the Tunku did not want a communist country as an immediate neighbour. Tunku was scared Signapore would become a base to spread communist ideas in malaya, so he merged with Signapore to join hands with PAP to curb the spread of communists  2. The issue of racial composition was resolved a. With the inclusion of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak, which had a predominantly Malay population. Hence Singapore's big Chinese population would not tilt the Ethnic balance in Singapore. b. The issue of imbalanced ethnic ratio in Malaya is resolved, so the Government can safeguard Malay rights and protect their politely power 3. Economic advantages of Singapore a. Merger would make Malaysia a wealthy country as Singapore was a prosperous trading centre. Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei also have natural resources. A common market can be achieved and the pooling of resources will be easier. The cooperation of the different territories for development is key in Malay’s prosperity. Singapore wanted the merger because 1. Challenging economic situation pushed Singapore for the merger for its economic survival a. singapore cannot survive economically in the long term as it does not have a promising economic future but itself. The entrepôt trade was declining as its neighbours, indonesia and Malaya wanted to trade directly with their own trading partner using their own ports. b. Singpaore’s importance as a regional trading port was reduced, and its revenue from trade decreased as a result. Trade tariffs on good from Signapore was also introduced in 1950s by the Malayan government. Singapore’s goods became more expensive and less desirable. c. This reduced the amount of trade between Singapore and Malaya. However, merger could establish a common market and it would bring a larger demand for Singapore’s goods, increasing the trade revenue and job opportunities. 2. The political aspiration of Singapore in gaining political independence also led to merger. a. British will only grant Singapore independence if it mergers with malaya as malaya was strongly anti-communist. During the Cold War, British is afraid that Southeast Asia will fall to communism as Singapore it the centre of all communist activities, and the communist influence from china, indonesia and Vietnam was rising b. the riots like Hock Lee Bus riots, were communist influence’s threats that would cause chaos and instability in Singapore. However malaya can help curb the spread of communism and strengthen security in Singapore. This is the only  way for Singapore to achieve independence as they desired a self-governance with the growing sense of national identity. PAP split 1. The pro-communist led by lim Chin Siong, attempted to capture the leadership of the PAp so that they could reject the Merger. This resulted in a power struggle within the PAP 2. the communist won the support of some members of PAP in the legislative assembly. But they did not manage to gather sufficient numbers to overthrow the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew. 3. The communists failed to gain control of the PAP and the 13 pro-communist Assemblymen were expelled from PAp. The expelled people formed a party called the Barisan Sosialis in august 1961. The chairman was Lee Siew Choy and secretary-general was lim Chin Siong. The party was against the merger and campaigned heavily against the plan. Referendum on merger 1. The referendum was held on 1 sept 1962, to find out what type of merger the people in Singapore wanted 2. LKY also conducted a series of 12 radio broadcast to appeal to the people of Singapore to vote for merger. he explained the benefits of merger in his broadcast to the people of Singapore. Option A: - merger with reserve power, notably autonomy over labour and education - automatic conversion of Singapore citizenship to Malaysian citizenship - 15 seats in the Central or federal Parliament - retention of multilingualism Option B: - merger as a state within the federation of Malaysia - application of present Federation labour and education policies - only people born in Singapore and some citizens by descent will automatically become Malaysia citizens  - Parliamentary representation in proportion to number of citizens eligible under stricter Federation citizenship laws - only English and Malay to be used in state legislature Option C: - merger to be on terms no less favourable than those given to Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. Other’s stakeholders to the merger 1. Sabah and Sarawak a. initially did not support merger, but agreed to it later b. would gain support and protection and obtain help to improve internal state affairs 2. Brunei a. problem of contribution of oil revenue to Kuala Lumpur b. position of Sultan of Brunei VS that of other sultans c. rejected Tunku Abdul Rahman’s proposal of Merger 3. United Kingdom a. believed that Malasia would provide peace and stability to the territories merged b. British investments in these territories would be protected c. communism would be kept in check in the merged territories d. independence could be granted to Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak 4. Philippines and Indonesia opposed it a. Philippines claimed Sabah was part of historical Sulu Sultanate, so it should belong to the Philippines and not be part of Malaysia b. Indonesia feared a strong Malaysia would threaten indonesia; Indonesia’s dominant regional position was at stake. They also perceived Malaysia as a British proxy. 5. The united Nations a. A United Nations survey, the Cobbold Commission, was set up to survey the wishes of the people with regard to the merger b. the result was that the majority of the people in the territories was in favour of merger. Philippines accepted the findings, but indonesia did not The confrontation: 1. The Indonesian government became openly anti-British and anti-Malaysia. hence the period of confrontation 2. the Indonesian government broke off diplomatic relations with Malaysia and sent a group of soldiers (commandos) who landed on Singapore shores to secretly plant bombs and commit acts of sabotage in Singapore Malaysian agreement 1. The borneo loan a. malaya wanted SIngapore to give $50 million to help develop Sabah and Sarawak b. singapore refused but agreed to lend $150 million to Sabah and Sarawak to be repaid within 15 years. c. No interest would be charged for the first $100 million. d. 50% of labour used in development for Sabah and Sarawak would come from Singapore. 2. Constitutional matter a. Singapore was entitled to 24 seats in the Federal parliament. b. Singapore was given 15 seats instead in exchange for Singapore retaining control over its education and labour policies c. Singapore is to elect its own state government d. Singapore would leave control of the armed forces and police as well as dealings with foreign governments to the federal government in Kuala Lumpur 3. Common Market between Singapore and the rest of Malaysia a. The common market goods can travel freely across the territories without worrying about taxes b. Singapore’s perspective is that with common market, trade would increase its industries will grow, creating more jobs c. Malaysia perspective is that they are reluctant to introduce common market as it feared that its industries could not compete with Singapore d. the compromise is that the common market is to be set up slowly e. Singapore will contribute 40% of its revenue to Kuala Lumpur f. Singapore will also be allowed to issue pioneer Certificates to business, with no need to pay taxes for 5-10 years. 4. Malaysian Citizen and Malay rights  a. Singapore citizens would remain Singapore citizens but also become Malaysian nationals b. no voting rights in Malaysian elections and vice versa, meaning that parties on both side could not take part in elections in either side c. The Malays in Singapore would not have special rights, but would receive concessions, like Malays are given free education up to university. Merger 4 stuff 1. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Uprising in Brunei become an issue for the formation of malaysia? a. Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962). The British had nuclear weapons in Singapore then. They were worried about those weapons falling into the hands of a communist state if Singapore became communist b. Uprising in Brunei (December 1962). The North Kalimantan National Army wanted a merger of British Borneo territories (Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Malaysian federal territory of Labuan) instead. They had support from the Barisan socialist for the Brunei Revolt. For the Malaysian Tunku, this was another push for the need to deal with the communists in Singapore. 2. What issues were hindering Singapore and Brunei in the negotiations for merger. a. Financial obligations of both states towards the federation b. representation of these states in the federal government c. for Brunei, seniority of the sultan compared to that of other Malayan states 3. What was the importance of Operation Coldstore in the formation of Malaysia? a. Operation coldstore (February 1963) was done by the Singapore, Malayan and British governments. b. 113 people were accused of being communists and aiming to overthrow the Singaporean government. They were arrested so the communist threat in Singapore - and potentially, Malaysia - was managed 4. How did indonesia react to the formation of Malaysia a. indonesia was hostile b. Indonesia's president Sukarno, claimed that the British Borneo territories belonged to indonesia, leading to tensions  c. Indonesia did not want a strong Malaysia to challenge Indonesia’s leadership in Southeast Asia. d. He launched the Confrontation (military confrontations and conflicts, including cross-border raids) 5. How did the Philippines object to the formation of Malaysia? a. The president, Diosdado Macapagal, claims that some parts of Malaysia (Sabah) should belong to them, and they engaged in diplomatic discussions to dispute its inclusion in Malaysia. OKAY NOW WHY MERGER FAILED WOOHOO Malaysia was: 1. Led by central government in KL led by Alliance party 2. The alliance Party - UMNO, MCA, MIC - each party was to look after its own interest 3. The prime minister of Malaysia was Tunku Abdul Rahman 4. Malays had special rights, like jobs, licenses , contracts, and housing Singapore was: 1. Led by state government, PAP 2. PAP was a multi racial party and did not specially promote the interest of any race-meritocracy (non-communal politics, means that people focus on what everyone in a group needs instead of just looking out for one specific community of group) 3. Lee Kuan Yew was the Prime minister 4. Malays had special positions as they had free education What were the conflicts between the federal government and Singapore during the period of the federation, in terms of 1. Political differences a. differing political ideologies i. Federal government Malay Malaysia (often prioritises the rights and privileges of Malays in government and society) ii. Singapore government Malaysian Malaysia (Everyone should have equal rights, without favouring any particular ethnic identity) b. State Election  i. September 1963 was the Singapore state election. The alliance leader from KL came to support the UMNO-Singapore alliance. They contested in 2 traditional Malay areas of Geylang Serai and kampong Kembangan. The results was that PAP won 37 seats and the Singapore Alliance got 0 seats. Singapore alliance did not win and the alliance leaders was angry c. federal elections i. In the 1964 Federal elections, PAP sent 17 candidates to take part ii. PAP called for a non-communal approach, and the alliance saw PAP’s participation in the federal elections as a direct challenge to its supremacy in Malaysia. During elections, PAP criticised the MCA as a poor representative of the urban Chinese in Malaysia, and an ineffective pater in the Alliance. Tan Siew Sin, the chairperson of MCA believed that the PAP was competing with him for the Chinese voters. iii. UMNO was further angered when the PAP tried to convince the Malays in Malaysia of its programme to create a just and equal society. iv. In the end, PAP won 1 seat which is 7% of the votes. That further upset the Alliance party d. Racial politics in July 1964 i. the alliance party accused PAP of not supporting giving special rights to the Malays in malaya, however pAP wanted all races to be treated equally ii. Certain Malay newspapers (Utusan Melayu) and Malay leader (Jaafar Alvar) started to attack PAP for not looking after the Malays (they started the anti-PAP campaign) iii. UMNO criticised the PAP for not looking after the interests of the Malays in Singapore. The Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu also joined in and made an issue of the PAP resettlement project in which Malays were involved. (Many of the Malays were reluctant to Move out of Kampong Glam and Rochore) More misleading articles of PAP ill-treating the Malays. Eg, PAP treats Malays as stepchildren iv. the Konfrontasi-Sukarno’s anti Chinese tirade exploited situation in Singapore by taking advantage of existing tensions and issues in the region. He used events to promote a sene of unity among Malays, at the expense of the Chinese population. v. The racial politics became so serious that riots broke out in Singapore on July 1964 at the Padang vi. On 21 July 1964, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday took place, which is the procession from Padang to Geylang. Scuffle had broken out between  some Chinese and Malays. The word of fighting spread and hence the riots. At the Padang, there was anti PAP speeches and many clashes between the Malays and Chinese took place. There was an island wide curfew that left 23 dead an 454 injured vii. In September 1964 in Geylang Serai, some Chinese that were believed to have caused the death of a Malay rickshaw puller, were provoked by Indonesian agents. This caused clashes between the Malays and Chinese that left 13 dead and 106 injured. There was an island wide curfew. 2. economic differences a. disagreements over economic matters b. merger terms perceived to have not been carried out as Singapore wanted a common market to be set up but was left out originally in the merger agreement. Their request was acceded only after Singapore agreed to contribute 40% of its revenue to the Central Government, and give a loan of $150 million for the development of Sabah and Sarawak. The first $100 million of $150 million would be free of interest, and the loan was repayable in 15 years time i. However! There was no common market set up and no increase in trade in Singapore. Instead, Singapore’s trade was badly affected by Indonesia’s boycott of Malaysia (confrontation thing, cutting off trade and blocking economic exchanges. This reduced rubber and tin goods in Malaysia) And as there was no common market, Singapore’s loan to Sabah and Sarawak for development purposes were withheld. ii. There were also complaints on discrimination against businessmen from Singapore. They were not given pioneer status certificates (basically special certificates that would help their businesses get started) and allotment of textile export quotas (their exports had limits, making it more difficult for Singaporean textile businesses to compete internationally. iii. There was the Closure of the Bank of China. In December 1964, the government made an announcement that the Bank of China was closed in July 1965, despite pleas from the Singapore government. The bank had served as a channel for the people to send money to relatives in China. Singapore also used it to trade with china, hence Singapore was adversely impacted due to the bank’s important role. iv. There was also a request for an increment in the contribution of Singapore to the Federal government. Tan Siew Sin, The Malaysian  Finance Minister wanted Singapore to increase its finically contribution to the Federal government from 40% to 60%. This was to help KL pay for the expenses incurred with dealing with the Indonesian Confrontation. Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's Finance Minister objected to the proposal as it would cripple Singapore’s economy. There was much efforts to restore peace like 1. Setting up goodwill committees to calm fears and establish peace. 2. Lee Kuan Yew also toured the island. 3. Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak visited Singapore 4. on September 1964, both sides signed an agreement to avoid sensitive issue for 2 years Significance of the Racial riots in the separation of Malaysia and Singapore 1. It showed how easily peace and unity of the country was disrupted 2. Lee Kuan Yew was now viewed by the UMNO extremist as a communalist and an enemy of Malaysia. 3. The federal government was fearful of the riots spreading to other parts of Malaysia 4. There was the question of the future of Singapore in the federation. There were further tensions that led to the separation. 1. In May 1965, PAP started the Malaysian solidarity convention (MSC) that aimed to create a political alternative to the ruling alliance government which was dominated by the UMNO. 2. It sought to unite both countries for a ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ that was about equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race, which directly challenged the ethnic-based politics of the Alliance (that prioritised the interests of the Malay community. 3. PAP gathered opposition parties in Malaysia to challenge the policies, that resulted in relationship between PAP and the alliance leaders to go from bad to worse, even calling to arrest Lee Kuan Yew Singapore is OUT - tension continued to grow between the UMNO extremists and the PAP leaders. - The Tunku who was in London for the commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference felt that to avoid further bloodshed and violence, Singapore was to be separated from Malaysia. - Lee Kuan Yew and a few PAP leaders were told on 6 August that Singapore had to leave immediately - The Tunku was not persuaded that SIngapore should stay even as part of a looser federation with Malaysia - PAP had no choice but to accept the decision - 9 August 1965, Singapore was proclaimed as a sovereign, democratic and independent nation.