year 2 chap 8 Flashcards
how did sg become an independent nation (84 cards)
1
Q
how did the new PAP government pursue independence from the British?
A
it pursued a merger of SG with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, forming the federation of Malaya
2
Q
why did the PAP government pursue a merger with Malaya?
A
- political independence
- economic survival
3
Q
why did the British seek to provide greater political stability through the formation of the federation?
A
to safeguard SG and the Borneo territories (North Borneo and Sarawak) against the spread of communism
4
Q
why did the British fear that southeast asia would fall under communist control?
A
- influences from communist china
- rising communist movements in nearby indonesia and vietnam
5
Q
why did Lee Kuan Yew believe that SG would not survive economically in the long term without a merger?
A
SG had no natural resources, a growing population and a declining entrepôt trade
6
Q
what did the Malaysian government introduce that made SG goods less desirable to Malayan customers in Malaysia?
A
the Malaysian government introduced tariffs
7
Q
how did the tariffs make SG goods less desirable to Malayan customers in Malaysia?
A
the tariffs made goods entering Malaya from SG more expensive and thus less desirable
8
Q
what was the impact of tariffs on the trade between SG and Malaysia?
A
it reduced the amount of trade between Malaya and Singapore
9
Q
why would a common market between Malaysia and SG be beneficial?
A
- the Malayan hinterland would create a larger demand for SG’s manufacturing goods
- trade would increase and more jobs could be created for the people
10
Q
what is a common market?
A
an agreement between countries allowing goods produced in one country to enter another without paying taxes
11
Q
what are the traits of a common market?
A
- people from the countries that have a common market can travel to any part of the country without a passport
- they can use the same currency to buy & sell goods and services throughout Malaysia
- people can set up businesses in all member states w/o high costs (e.g foreign investment tax)
- people can trade in all kinds of goods across all member states without paying taxes (e.g import and export tax)
12
Q
what was Tunku Abdul Rahman’s initial response to a merger?
A
he thought a merger with SG spelt trouble
13
Q
what were Tunku Abdul Rahman’s initial concerns about a merger with SG?
A
- SG had a predominantly chinese population
- the chinese might be reluctant to accept a Malay Sultan as Head of State, use Malay as the national language and accept Islam as state religion
- that many Chinese were pro-communists
- the changes to the racial make-up as a merger with SG alone meant the combined Chinese population would outnumber the Malays
14
Q
what were the 2 reasons that made Tunku Abdul Rahman change his mind about the merger?
A
- the fear of an independent, communist-influenced SG
- the Hong Lim by-election
15
Q
what was the Tunku worried that might happen to the Malaya representative on SG’s internal security council if SG became independent?
A
he was worried that if SG became independent, Malaya would lose its representative and no longer be able to influence security matters in SG
16
Q
what were communist concerns that made Tunku change his mind about the merger?
A
- absence of a colonial government would make the threat of communism difficult to contain
- PAP taken over by members who were pro-communist, resulting in a SG government less willing to have a merger with terms acceptable to Malaya
- if SG became a independent & a communist country, it could influence others to consider a communist government
- SG would be less dangerous as the communist elements can be controlled by the government in Malaysia if they had a merger
17
Q
what is the meaning of a by-election?
A
an election held to fill a seat that becomes empty between general elections; could occur when the representative occupying the seat is expelled from the party, resigns or has passed away
18
Q
when were the Hong Lim by-elections held?
A
April 1961
19
Q
why did Ong Eng Guan start to fall out of favour within the PAP by 1960?
A
because his actions as minister were not in line with the party’s directions
20
Q
when did Ong Eng Guan openly challenged the PAP leadership at one of its party conferences?
A
June 1960
21
Q
what happened to Ong Eng Guan after he challenged the PAP leadership at one of its party conferences?
A
was suspended as Minister, expelled from the party and made to resign his seat in the Legislative Assembly
22
Q
why did the Hong Lim by-elections take place?
A
because Ong Eng Guan was no longer a member of the PAP and there was an open seat
23
Q
how many percent of the votes did Ong Eng Guan get when he contested as an independent candidate in the Hong Lim by-elections?
A
he defeated the PAP’s candidate with 73.3% of the votes
24
Q
why did Ong Eng Guan winning the Hong Lim by-elections made the Tunku worried?
A
it showed an increasing divide within the PAP between the general PAP group and Ong Eng Guan’s group
25
when did the Tunku highlight the prospect of a merger between Malaya and Singapore as part of the formation of a new federation?
27 May 1961
26
why did the radical group within the PAP objected to the merger?
they felt that once SG became independent through merger, they would be put down by the federal government in Malaya (who controlled internal security)
27
how did the radical group within PAP try to sabotage the PAP?
by asking voters to support the opposition candidates instead
28
what was the result of the radical group within PAP's sabotage in the Anson by-election?
PAP lost the Anson by-election on 15 July 1961
29
when did LKY and the Tunku came to an agreement on the broad terms of the merger?
24 Aug 1961
30
what were the key points on the proposed merger?
1. SG would have its own Head of State a.k.a the president
2. SG citizens would be given the title of “federal nationals” instead of “federal citizens”
3. SG could hold its own elections to choose its own state government and SG citizens would only be able to vote in elections held in Singapore
4. SG would collect its own revenue and pay Kuala Lumpur an agreed-upon sum to cover the cost of federal services such as telecommunications, defence and security
5. SG would have control over its education and labour matters and its own civil service
6. the federal government (stationed in Kuala Lumpur) would oversee SG’s defence, internal security and dealings with foreign governments
31
what did SG citizens being given the title of “federal nationals” instead of “federal citizens” mean?
it meant that SG citizens can only vote in SG elections and only have influence in SG’s politics
32
what was the agreed-upon sum that SG had to pay KL to cover the cost of federal services such as telecommunications, defence and security?
40% of whatever amount that SG earns
33
what does it mean if SG has control over its education and labour matters and its own civil service?
it means SG and Malaysia have completely separate systems and Malaysia cannot intervene in Singapore’s internal matters
34
according to the proposed merger, all ___ affairs would be controlled by Malaysia
external
35
who were the people in PAP who supported the merger?
Prime minister LKY, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye and S. Rajaratnam
36
who were the people in PAP who were against the merger?
Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan and Lee Siew Choh
37
what party did Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan and Lee Siew Choh form?
Barisan Sosialis
38
why did Barisan Sosialis take away majority of the PAP’s Chinese voters?
they were very good at the language and dialects
39
why did Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan strongly oppose the merger?
they felt the terms were unfavourable to the people in SG
40
___ became chairman of the Barisan Sosialis while ___ was its secretary-general
Dr Lee Siew Choh ; Lim Chin Siong
41
what were the 2 political reasons that Barisan Sosialis was against the merger?
1. status of SG population → merger could not guarantee that the people of SG would be able to enjoy the same rights as those in Malaya
2. SG would be under-represented as they would only be given 15 seats in the federal parliament, a sign of its second-class status
42
how did Barisan Sosialis persuade the people to believe in their aspirations?
- gave speeches at mass rallies to persuade the people not to support merger
- accepted an invitation to debate the issues surrounding the merger in radio forums with other parties like the PAP
43
how did PAP persuade the people to believe in their aspirations?
- launched a year-long campaign to convince people the need to merge with Malaya
- from Sep to Oct 1961, LKY went on radio to give talks known as “The Battle for Merger” broadcast on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
- exhibitions were used to highlight benefits of merger (e.g Malaysia exhibition in 1962 at Victoria Memorial hall)
44
what does a referendum mean?
a direct vote by the people on a specific issue
45
when was the referendum on the issue of merger held?
1st Sep 1962
46
what were the 3 options the voters were given during the referendum?
1. the PAP option
2. the PAP’s interpretation of the Barisan option
3. the Borneo territories option
47
what were the terms of the PAP option in the referendum?
- merger with reserve powers, autonomy over labour and education
- automatic conversions of SG citizenship into Malaysian citizenship
- 15 seats in Parliament
- retention of multilingualism
48
what were the terms of the PAP’s interpretation of the Barisan option in the referendum?
- merger as state within the Federation
- application of present Federation labour and education policies
- only automatic citizenship for persons born in SG and by descent in some cases
- parliamentary representation in proportion to no. of citizens eligible to vote under stricter Federation citizenship laws
- only English and Malay to be used in state legislature
49
what were the terms of the Borneo territories option in the referendum?
- merger with terms no less favourable than that of the Borneo territories
50
which vote did the BS party urge everyone to cast?
the BS party urged everyone to cast blank votes instead so that the merger could not take place
51
what was the result of the referendum?
PAP’s preferred option won with 70.8% of the votes
52
what happened on 2nd Fed 1963?
* more than a 100 political, trade union and student leaders were detained (arrested without trial) by the Internal Security Council
* including Lim Chin Siong and 23 other BS members
53
what were the members of the BS party accused of during operation coldstore?
they were accused of attempting to sabotage the formation of Malaysia and planning and uprising in SG
54
what external oppositions were there to the merger?
- Brunei decided against joining Malaysia
- Philippines refused to recognise Malaysia as it claimed the North Borneo didn't belong to them
- Indonesia refused to recognise Malaysia as it believed that the new Federation of Malaysia would allow the British colonial power to continue to control Malaysia indirectly
55
when did Indonesia launched Konfrontasi?
Jan 1963
56
what was the aim of Konfrontasi?
to cause instability in the states that were to form the Federation
57
when was the Malaysia Agreement was signed in London by Britain, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak?
9 July 1963
58
what date did the Federation of Malaysia come into being?
16th Sep 1963
59
what were the 2 economic reasons for SG's separation from Malaysia?
1. disagreement regarding the common market
2. disagreement in revenue contribution
60
what were the 2 political reasons for SG's separation from Malaysia?
1. disagreement in composition of political parties
2. disagreement in treatment of races
61
why did the Federal government (Malaysia) delayed the setting up of the common market and tariffs continued?
because SG was seen as an economic rival/competitor and Malaysia did not want SG to become too wealthy
62
what did the delay of setting up the common market and tariffs continuation lead to?
it lead to the decline in the business of SG’s trade and this caused SG to be unhappy with Malaysia
63
the Federal government in Malaysia increased SG’s contribution of its total revenue to ___ due to the Konfrontasi incident
60%
64
what were the differences in Malaysia's and SG's political culture?
* Malaya forms a United Front or alliance with other ethnic races/race-based parties
* SG creates a strong multicultural party based on multiracial lines and all members of the politic party are from different ethnic groups
65
whats the main political party in Malaya and SG?
* Malaya: United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
* SG: Peoples Action Party (PAP)
66
what were the differences in Malaysia's and SG's political ideas on race issues?
* Malaya: UMNO, MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress) represent the interests of their respective communities
* SG: PAP represents the interests of all the ethnic groups
67
Malaya believed that Malays should have certain privileges as they are “bumiputeras”, what does “bumiputeras” mean?
means “son of the soil”
68
what was SG's view on the treatment of different races?
- SG’s government felt that everyone, regardless of race, should be given an equal opportunity to succeed
- it believed that the best way of enabling Malays to gain better employment was by providing free education
- it let everyone get their own jobs based on how hard they worked
69
what was Malaya's view on the treatment of different races?
- special privileges in employment, business and education were given to the Malays with the aim of improving their economic and social position
- for example, a certain number of jobs in the government was reserved for the Malays
- they wanted to ensure that the local people (the Malays) were always ahead of the others
70
what were the 5 events that worsened the relationship between Malaya and SG?
1. 1963 Singapore elections
2. 1964 Federal election
3. Anti-PAP campaign
4. 1964 Racial riots (the worst one of them all)
5. Malaysian Solidarity Convention
71
what did political and economic differences lead to between the Alliance Party and the PAP?
disagreements and increased tensions
72
what happened during the 1963 Singapore election?
- Singapore Alliance Party decided to challenge PAP in the SG elections of 1963
- they didn't win any seat in the election, not even in areas where there were more Malays
- this was seen as unfair as SG can’t contest in Malaysia elections but Malaysia can contest in SG’s elections
73
what were the consequences of the 1963 Singapore election?
- UMNO became unhappy because it meant that they were unpopular in SG
- Alliance party vowed to re-organise Singapore Alliance Party to defeat PAP in the next election so that they can control the politics in SG and control SG
- such comments affected the relationship between UMNO and PAP in a negative manner
74
what happened during the 1964 Federal elections?
- the PAP wished to establish itself as a Malaysian political party and participated in the 1964 Federal elections in April 1964
- their political campaign attracted large crowds
- the results were that PAP only won 1 seat while the Alliance party won 89 out of 104 seats
- LKY violated the rules of the treaty that SG cannot contest in Malaysian elections
- it is believed that his aim was to replace the MCA
75
what did Utusan Melayu, a Malay newspaper, spread about PAP?
it spread anti-PAP sentiments such as claiming that PAP was treating Singapore Malays as second-class citizens
76
what did Utusan Melayu, a Malay newspaper, accuse PAP of?
it accused PAP of placing greater emphasis on Chinese education at the expense of Malay education
77
what were the results of the anti-PAP campaigns?
- the rumours and accusations created more tension and problems between the PAP and the Alliance Party
- people protested in the streets
- the Malays were scared that the Chinese would become too powerful if LKY were to replace the MCA
- people believed that LKY wanted to become the next prime minister of Malaysia and that made them scared
78
when did the two riots in 1964 happen?
July 1964 and Sep 1964
79
what happened during the race riot in July 1964?
- during the celebration of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in July 1964, a clash happened between Chinese policemen and Malay participants had turned into full-blown race riots
- the Alliance Party’s anti-PAP campaign created tensions and anger between the Chinese and Malays in SG
- these tensions turned into violence during the celebration and island wide curfew was imposed
- military defence had to come in and intervene
80
what was the results of the two 1964 riots?
the Alliance Party and PAP agreed not to raise any matters racial in nature and not to challenge each other politically in elections for the next 2 years
81
what happened during the Malaysian Solidarity Convention?
- in May 1965, a political party formed by PAP and 4 other Malaysian political parties who opposed the Alliance party (Malaysian political party)
- their aim was to campaign for a ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ where everyone would be treated equally regardless of their race or religion and it was seen as a direct threat against the Tunku and the Alliance party
- the Alliance party felt very upset and betrayed, some UMNO leaders called for LKY’s arrest
82
when was Tunku was convinced that the differences between both governments could not be resolved and felt that it was best for SG to leave Malaysia?
by mid 1965
83
when did the secret negotiations on SG’s exit from the Federation begin?
July 1965
84
when was SG officially no longer a state of Malaysia?
9 August 1965
