MALAYSIAN PARLIAMENT HOUSE, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN ENTERING AND TALKING WITH NEWSMEN.




Initials PBS/V/MGT/PC



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Background: FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY (MONDAY) THAT SINGAPORE HAD WITHDRAWN FROM THE MALAYSIAN FEDERATION TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN STATE, MANY COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY AGREED TO GIVE THE ISLAND DIPLOMATIC RECOGNITION.

THE DECISION WAS ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY BY BOTH LEE KUAN YEW, SINGAPORE'S PRIME MINISTER, AND TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN, PRIME MINISTER AND DESIGNER OF THE FEDERATION.IT WAS REPORTED TODAY THE TUNKU HAD SAID MALAYSIA HAD NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO BREAK WITH SINGAPORE.

THE TUNKU DESCRIBED SINGAPORE'S WITHDRAWAL AS ODIOS, AND SAID HIS DREAM OF A UNITED MALAYSIA HAD BEEN SHATTERED.

HE SAID THAT ATTEMPTS TO GET THE CO-OPERATION OF THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT HAD PROVED BOTH HOPELESS AND USELESS.

SINGAPORE, WITH A POPULATION OF NEARLY TWO MILLION, HAD COMPLAINED THAT MALAYSIA WAS SHOWING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TOWARDS THE INDIGENOUS MALAY POPULATION.EIGHTY PER CENT OF SINGAPORE'S POPULATION ARE CHINESE, AND THE REMAINING TWENTY PER CENT CONSIST OF SEVERAL RACES, INCLUDING MALAYS.

IT WAS TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN WHO ORIGINALLY PUT FORWARD THE IDEA OF FORMING THE FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA -- COMPRISING MALAYA, SINGAPORE, SARAWAK AND SABAH.

SINCE IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1963, HOWEVER, IT HAS FACED TROUBLE FROM BOTH WITHOUT AND WITHIN.NEIGHBOURING INDONESIA HAS THREATENED TO CRUSH THE FEDERATION WITH THE FORCE OF ARMS, AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF COMMONWEALTH TROOPS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE FEDERATION.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED IN LONDON TODAY THAT SINGAPORE HAD ASKED TO REMAIN WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION.