In 1963 , Singapore declared its independency from Great Britain . Without much land orbit or natural resources of its own , the new nation secured some protective covering and economical aid by joining Malaya , Sabah and Sarawak to shape the Federation of Malaysia . But just a few years after , Singapore was out on its own .
The union was rough right from the start , with Singaporean state leaders disagreeing with the Union official on economic policy and federal affirmative action laws that gave preferential treatment to cultural Malays . Meanwhile , Malay- and Chinese - Singaporean civilian clashed on the street in a series of race riots that killed dozens of people , injured hundreds more , damaged base , caused nutrient shortages , and further strained Singapore ’s coition with the other states and Union government .
Union authorities lost their patience quickly and leader on both slope realize that the union was not sustainable . Forty - eight years ago this month , on August 9 , 1965 , the Parliament of Malaysia vote 126 - 0 to boot out Singapore from the federation .
While other countries strived and fought for their independency , Singapore ’s seems more like political fallout , or a penalty doled out to them . Just hours before the vote that created the new Republic of Singapore , its first Prime Minister , Lee Kuan Yew , broke down in tear during a jam conference , enunciate , “ For me , it is a moment of torment . All my sprightliness , my whole adult life , I have believed in the merger and one of the two territories . " Wikipedia , in reference to the anniversary , even calls Singapore the “ first and only area to appointment to gain independency unwillingly . ”
But Singapore ’s independence did n’t exactly come about without any remark or natural process on the part of the province , arguesSingaporean political blogger Palaniyapan :
In other words , the corporate Singaporean vision of what society and authorities should look like was revolutionary enough to force Malaysia to stage the bloodless rotation for them . That ’s actually a pretty ripe beginning for a national narrative , and something worth toasting with a Singapore Sling .
