merger
In which year did Singapore merge with Malaya?
1963
What were the two different beliefs the PAP and UMNO ran their countries on?
PAP: multiracialism, UMNO: communalism
Who was required to serve NS?
All males aged 18 to 20.
What is one reason why the Barisan Socialis claimed that merger was not beneficial to Singapore?
Citizenship was not automatically granted to Singapore citizens / Singapore citizens would be known as ‘federal nationals’ / Singpore were not given a proportionate number of seats to its population / Singapore citizens were given second-class status
What were the 2 economic reasons for the disagreement between PAP and the central government?
Disagreement over formation of Common Market and disagreement over Singapore’s contribution to the federal government
Why was NS implemented?
NS was implemented after the British withdrawal so that Singapore could have its own credible defence force to safeguard against external threats from bigger, more powerful neighbouring countries. Prior to the establishment of NS, Singapore only had 2 battalions, which was definitely not enough for this purpose.
What are two reasons why Singapore wanted to merge with Malaya?
To gain independence / to establish a common market / to help sustain economic growth / hinterland for raw materials
What did the PAP do in the 1964 Federal Election, and why?
PAP participated in the election as it wanted to establish itself as a Malaysian political party
What was the reaction of the public when NS was implemented?
Many members of the public were anxious and unsure of the safety and wellbeing of the NS men.
What is a reason for why Malaya did not want Merger with Singapore initially? Explain.
Racial imbalance. As Singapore had a predominantly Chinese population, this would disrupt the population’s ratio of Malays to other races. As Malaya wanted to maintain the majority race as the Malays, merger would cause political and other implications.
Other than having contrasting views and approaches, why did the PAP and UMNO clash with each other?
While contrasting approaches did not mean that there would be conflict between them, the fact that PAP and UMNO sought to compete against each other (for own reasons) in state and federal elections was what caused them to view each other as political rivals and clash with each other.
What was the reason behind the British withdrawal?
The British withdrew from Singapore as the British economy was vulnerable after the devaluation of the Sterling Pound. Maintaining military bases and troops in Singapore was too costly and the British decided to reduce their spending by sending the troops home.
What are 2 factors that caused Malaya’s change of attitude towards Merger, and how they caused the change?
1. Tunku felt that the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak in the merger would overcome the fear of possible Chinese dominance in the new federation
2. fear of an independent, communist-influenced Singapore due to the possible absence of a colonial government leading to the threat of communism in Singapore being harder to contain / increasing divide within PAP between the moderates and radical faction
What was UMNO’s reaction to the results of the 1963 Singapore Election?
UMNO felt alarmed that their Malay candidates in all three constituencies that had a majority of Malay voters had lost their seats to Malay PAP candidates.
How did NS contribute to nation-building and a sense of belonging to Singapore?
NS enabled the newly-independent Singapore to stop depending on the British for the defence. It also fostered a sense of belonging to the country as all the NS men from different backgrounds were working together towards a common goal - to defend it from external threats. This also resulted in camaraderie and racial harmony between the NS men, which was important in a multiracial country such as Singapore as it would prevent internal conflicts such as racial riots.