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Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965

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Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965
●Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state
●Proclamation on Singapore
●Constitution and Malaysia (Singapore Amendment) Act, 1965
Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965
Signed7 August 1965; 59 years ago (1965-08-07)
LocationKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Effective9 August 1965; 59 years ago (1965-08-09)
Signatories
Parties
  •  Malaysia
  •  Singapore
DepositarySingapore Government
dated 1 June 1966
The Secretary-General of the  United Nations acting in his capacity as depositary the following:[1]
English and French
Registered No. I-8206
LanguageEnglish
Full text
Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state at Wikisource

The Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 was a major agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore on 7 August 1965 that formally seceded Singapore from Malaysia as a state and to be an independent sovereign country. The agreement included a Proclamation on Singapore to be made by Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman; a different Proclamation of Singapore was made by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

As a result of the agreement, Singapore permanently became distinct and separate from Malaysia with effect from 9 August 1965, and rendered the Malaysia Agreement invalid in regards to Singapore. It also became a member of the United Nations a few weeks later on 20 September with a unanimous decision.[2] The Singapore Act 1966 followed the treaty a year after, which admitted Singapore into the Commonwealth of Nations with retroactive effect from the agreement.[3]

Background

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Singapore first achieved sovereignty on 3 June 1959 from the United Kingdom. From 1959 to 1963, Singapore was a country with full internal self-governance, but the British colonial administration still controlled external relations, similar to the Irish Free State.

On 16 September 1963, the Proclamation of Malaysia was declared, which declared the merger of four countries: Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore – the latter three already self-governing colonies by this point – into the new entity of Malaysia. With this, Singapore subsequently joined Malaysia as an autonomous state, along with Sarawak and Sabah.

Legacy

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The short-lived union would prove tenuous due to various factors, including deep political and economic differences, and would end up lasting for just 1 year, 10 months and 24 days before this agreement became effective on 9 August 1965.[4] Meanwhile, Sarawak and Sabah have remained part of Malaysia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ See: United Nations General Assembly Resolution 97 (1)Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "(Chapter VII) Practices Relative to Recommendations to the General Assembly Regarding the Admission of New Members" (PDF). un.org. Headquarters of the United Nations: United Nations. 20 September 1965. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Singapore Act 1966 (1966 C 29)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. London: Parliament of the United Kingdom. 9 August 1966. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  4. ^ Milne, R. S. (1 March 1966). "Singapore's Exit from Malaysia; the Consequences of Ambiguity". Asian Survey. 6 (3). University of California Press: 175–184. doi:10.2307/2642221. JSTOR 2642221. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
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