ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOL (BARKER ROAD)

SECONDARY 2 (EXPRESS/NA) HISTORY

Chapter 8 Handout 1: Reasons for Merger

Name: __________________________ ( ) Class: 2__

Date: ________________

I am able to: Explain the reasons why Singapore and Malaya wanted to merge

Reasons for Merger: Singapore

Political Independence from the British Economic Benefits for Singapore

➢ British colonial government ➢ Belief by the PAP government that

unwilling to grant Singapore
independence by itself ⇒
Singapore seen as too small to
survive on its own
➢ British fear of Communist
influence spreading through
Southeast Asia
BUT with Merger
➢ British hope of safeguarding
Singapore and Borneo territories
from the spread of Communism
➢ Promise of greater political stability
through formation of a new
federation of Malaysia
○ British colonies/former
colonies: Malaya,
Singapore, North Borneo,
Sarawak, Brunei
Singapore could not survive in the
long term
○ Lack of natural resources
○ Rapidly growing population in
need of jobs
○ Declining entrepot trade
(countries preferring to use
their own ports for export
trade)
➢ Independent Malaya introduced tariffs
on goods traded between Singapore
and Malaya ⇒ trade became limited
BUT with Merger
➢ Common market between Singapore
and Malaya could be established
➢ Malaya-Singapore trade would
increase
➢ More jobs would be created for the
people

Malaya’s Initial Response: NO TO MERGER because…

Changes to the racial make-up of the Suspicion over the Chinese community in
proposed federation Singapore (Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku
Abdul Rahman)

➢ Merger with Singapore alone will ➢ Suspected that many Chinese in

cause the combined Chinese Singapore had sympathies for the
population to outnumber the communists
Malays ○ Many had led and supported
the strikes in the 1950s
➢ Worried about the spread of such
attitudes to the rest of the federation
However, by early 1961, the Tunku changed his mind and started to support the idea of a
merger. WHY?
Reason for Merger: Malaya

Created by Toh Jopescu, 2022

 Security for Malaya (and Singapore)

Fear of an Independent, Fear of the PAP becoming Communist-

Communist-influenced Singapore controlled

➢ Malaya would lose influence
over security matters in an
independent Singapore
○ Malaya no longer
having a representative
on the Internal Security
Council
○ Difficult to contain the
communists, especially
with the absence of a
colonial government
➢ Tunku saw that the PAP was becoming
divided into two groups
○ Moderate group: wanted to bring
about political changes gradually
○ Radical group: wanted to push for
drastic changes, using more
forceful measures
➢ The moderate group also seemed to be
losing its control over the PAP as seen
from the Hong Lim by-election
➢ Tunku feared that a more radical PAP
would push for Singapore’s independence
from the British ⇒ establishing a
communist government in Singapore
through force

➢ Communist Singapore could become a base and influence other countries to

become communist ⇒ danger to Malaya and the region’s stability
BUT with Merger
➢ Government in Malaysia could control the communist elements in Singapore
➢ Singapore and its communist elements would become less of a security threat

Proposed Terms of Merger in 1961 (p 94)

Key points agreed upon between Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Malayan
Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman:
1) Singapore would have its own Head of State [a leader representing the state]

2) Singapore citizens would be given the title of “federal nationals” [people

recognised as belonging to the federation but do not have all the benefits and
powers of a citizen] instead of “federal citizens”

3) Singapore could hold its own elections to choose its own state government.
Singapore citizens would only be able to vote in elections held in Singapore.

4) Singapore would collect its own revenue [money collected through taxes] and pay
Kuala Lumpur (the federal government) an agreed-upon sum to cover cost of federal
services (e.g. telecommunications, defence and security)

5) Singapore would have control over its education and labour matters, and its own civil
service [people working for the government in different areas/departments].

6) The federal government would oversee Singapore’s defence, internal security and
dealings with foreign governments.

Created by Toh Jopescu, 2022