It was July 1965.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had determined at this level that Singapore needed to depart Malaysia.
He wrote to then-deputy prime minister Tun Razak of his ideas about eradicating Singapore from Malaysia.
“Ultimately, I fear we will have no choice but to cut out Singapore from Malaysia in order to save the rest of the body from gangrene.”
It was a thought that will flip into actuality.
The Proclamation of Malaysia doc. (Photograph: Ministry of Data and the Arts Assortment, courtesy of Nationwide Archives of Singapore)
The merger between Malaysia and Singapore simply two years again in 1963 would disintegrate a month later.
And never everybody wished to see Malaysia break up and Singapore – with its British bases – left by itself to outlive. Even Mr Lee Kuan Yew had his personal reservations about separation, hoping for a looser federation as an alternative.
However regardless of the Tunku’s resolution – with the Folks’s Motion Get together’s (PAP) Dr Goh Keng Swee additionally proposing a separation – Singapore turning into an impartial nation wouldn’t have occurred with out the deepest secrecy.
Right here’s what really occurred within the 40 days main as much as Separation as informed by key characters, together with Madam Kwa Geok Choo – the spouse of Mr Lee, whose supporting position within the separation is just not at all times spoken about.
Union woes
It had not been smooth-sailing for the reason that formation of Malaysia, which noticed the inclusion of Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to Malaya in 1963.
Communal riots, race-based tensions, inflammatory political feedback, and the seemingly rising attract of the PAP within the mainland led to a lot stress between the Tunku-led Alliance Get together and PAP.
Folks seen carrying anti-Lee Kuan Yew and anti-PAP placards. (Photograph: Ministry of Data and the Arts Assortment, courtesy of Nationwide Archives of Singapore)
The rhetoric in opposition to PAP’s Lee had additionally been ratcheting up.
Amid these developments, PAP’s Mr Toh Chin Chye and Mr S Rajaratnam had been integral in getting the Malaysian Solidarity Conference (MSC) off the bottom.
The MSC was a gathering of 5 political events, specifically PAP, the United Democratic Get together and the Folks’s Progressive Get together from Peninsula Malaysia, and Sarawak’s Machinda Get together and the Sarawak United Folks’s Get together.
That they had come collectively on Could 9, 1965, in an try and staunch the unfold of communalism in Malaysia.
The Tunku needs us out
All these developments alarmed the Malaysian management, notably the Tunku, resulting in his letter to Tun Razak on Jul 1.
A collection of negotiations between Dr Goh and Tun Razak within the following days adopted, crystallising ideas and setting issues in movement that will see Singapore lastly break up from its Causeway neighbour.
Dr Goh was, actually, finished with the concept of creating Malaysia work.
Hear it in his personal phrases:
Faucet to listenClick to pay attention
Goh Keng Swee
However I’ve had sufficient of Malaysia. I simply need to get out.
I may see no future in it, that the political price was dreadful and the financial advantages, nicely, didn’t exist.
So it was [an] train in futility.
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Goh Keng Swee (Accession No. 000046, Observe No. 36), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
Mr Lee quickly purchased into the concept, and subsequently instructed Legislation Minister Eddie Barker to draft the modification to the structure making the secession of Singapore potential, and an Act giving Singapore independence beneath that modification.
Mr Lee additionally obtained Mr Barker to draft a proclamation of independence.
However he wasn’t happy with the drafts proven, which was when he enlisted his spouse – a “good conveyancing lawyer” – for her views.
Essential to independence was securing Singapore’s water provide from the Johor authorities.
I confirmed my spouse the paperwork as a result of my spouse is a good draughtsman. I wasn’t joyful. I wished the Water Settlement[s] to be introduced in, as a result of the Water Settlement[s] [were] settlement[s] between the PUB or the Metropolis Council [then] and the State of Johor.
Now, [they were not agreements] between two impartial governments. [I thought]: When we separate, our relations will be that of two impartial governments and if they disavow or they dishonour [these] Water Settlement[s], we shall be in deep hassle, we’ll have no water to drink. So I wished the Water Settlement[s] included.
How do we carry the Water Settlement[s] which [are] between a native authorities [then Singapore City Council] and a state authorities [Johor] into this Separation doc so that [they] change into settlement[s] between two impartial governments, and will have to be honoured as such?
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Lee Kuan Yew (Accession No. 000080, Observe No. 82), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
On Mdm Kwa’s finish, she utilized her draughtsman’s lenses on the paperwork.
Her “duty”? Figuring out areas of “ambiguities which can later lead to disagreement and conflict”.
Historical past has proven that her contributions on this regard have been invaluable.
My primary … what I really feel is my obligation in such a factor … is to see whether or not there are any ambiguities which can later lead to disagreement and battle, which can be interpreted one approach or one other approach. That, as a draughtsman, is how I look at the factor.
Is there any sentence the place the which means is not clear? It is not for me to say whether or not the which means is right, [whether] it is proper that you ought to do this, or it is flawed that you ought to do that.
My complete angle is, what is it you need to do? Has it been spelt out clearly in phrases which no one can argue about?
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Kwa Geok Choo (Accession No. 000118, Observe No. 32), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
This can be a ‘cloak and dagger thing’
After the flurry of actions to get the paperwork so as, a seeming lull descended by the top of July.
Mr Lee stated in his memoirs that on Jul 30, he was “still uncertain as to what would happen, whether there would be a rearrangement, a separation, or a collision”.
He added that he left Singapore to attend a PAP rally in Kuala Lumpur (KL) earlier than happening to Cameron Highlands for his or her annual household vacation from Aug 2 to Aug 8.
It was right here that Mdm Kwa performed a small, however vital, position in permitting Mr Lee to slide into KL halfway by their vacation to find out the following course of actions that will alter the histories of Singapore and Malaysia.
“I knew that things were coming to the boil … meaning that the separation was going to take place,” Mdm Kwa recounted in her oral historical past.
With that in thoughts, she managed the kids and fobbed off any queries about Mr Lee’s presence by saying he was on the golf course.
Whoever may need been sniffing round was none the wiser.
It was essential to maintain up the pretense because the British may need scuppered the act to separate had they caught wind of the plans.
Mr Lee stated as a lot in his memoirs: “I was apprehensive that (Antony Head, the British High Commissioner then) might have got a whiff of what was going on.”
“I knew that if he had the slightest hint of it, he was resourceful and strong enough to unscramble whatever we had agreed upon,” Mr Lee wrote.
No, I didn’t want to be informed these issues. He simply stated: ‘I’m going off.’ That’s that and I knew that when he goes off like this, you don’t inform the complete world that he’s gone down to Kuala Lumpur to negotiate these delicate issues.
So there are sure issues he might have informed me simply don’t … No, I don’t suppose it was needed. I knew what … this is a cloak and dagger factor. You don’t … you don’t inform folks.
If my son had blurted out: ‘Papa’s not right here’, that would have been hassle. However my son would have recognized higher, my massive boy. My youngsters wouldn’t have recognized, the youthful ones wouldn’t have recognized.
I was there simply as a camouflage. As far as the world knew, I imply, he was on vacation in Cameron Highlands. So when they requested me: ‘Where’s your husband?’ ‘He’s taking part in, he’s on a golf course.’
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Kwa Geok Choo (Accession No. 000118, Observe No. 32), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
Issues fell into place.
The secrecy gave Mr Lee and his leaders the duvet and time wanted for the Separation paperwork to be lastly signed off on each side.
On the finish, Mr Lee thanked Mr Barker and stated: “We’ve pulled off a bloodless coup.”
Separation nervousness
It was the day of Aug 9, 1965.
For many, it was simply one other day in Malaysia.
However for Mr Lee and all the opposite Malaysian leaders within the know, the day can be historical past making – for each international locations.
And the approaching second was to maintain him up at night time.
“Spent a fitful night tossing and turning because it was very upsetting, we were letting down so many people,” Mr Lee recounted.
The morning heralded a brand new daybreak for peoples in each international locations; the proclamation of independence was broadcast on radio in Singapore at 10am.
It was the press convention that happened after that will show most memorable.
As Mr Lee fronted the cameras to elucidate the choice and rally Singaporeans to their new actuality, he needed to resist ending the dream of a united Malaysia.
And it was the most painful press convention I’ve had in my life, as a result of it was, one, actually an admission of defeat.
As a result of what we tried to do, bringing Malaysia about, had failed in much less than two years after extra than 15 years of effort, from 1950… 13 years [of effort from] 1950 to 1963 in two years we’d given it up.
And we had been additionally letting down all our, not simply political companions in the [Malaysian] Solidarity Conference, however a lot of folks who had their hopes raised of a completely different type of future, as a result of of our participation in Malaysia and the type of Malaysia we had been ready to struggle for.
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Lee Kuan Yew (Accession No. 000080, Observe No. 83), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
However the lack of sleep, the feelings of the press convention and all the small print he needed to oversee previous to Separation had taken its toll.
Mdm Kwa stated he was “very, very upset” after he returned within the afternoon.
“That is the nearest I have seen him to being near a nervous breakdown.”
He [Mr Lee] was upset after the factor [Separation] was over. When the factor is on, there is no time to be upset. There’s no time to be jittery and nervous whereas you’re doing it.
No, no. I suppose the place he had the nearest to a nervous breakdown was after it was over, after the press convention [on the afternoon of Aug 9] when we got here again and slept in this room. Then, he was very, very upset.
Credit score: From the oral historical past interview of Kwa Geok Choo (Accession No. 000118, Observe No. 32), Oral Historical past Centre, Nationwide Archives of Singapore
The whirlwind romance between Malaysia and Singapore was over.
But the ramifications of the choice are felt to this present day.
You may dive into all of the declassified paperwork launched as a part of Dr Goh’s Albatross File, and the newly launched oral histories from key figures throughout this era.
Take a look at The Albatross File: Singapore’s Independence Declassified exhibition on the Nationwide Library Constructing that opened on Dec 8, 2025.
Be aware: The audio recordsdata had been edited for size and to take away pauses, however the content material isotherwise offered as recorded and the which means of the unique remarks preserved.
