1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome back to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: where we reveal a new piece of history every day. 4 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: Today it's August thirty one, nineteen. The day was August 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: thirty one, nineteen sixty three, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee 6 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: Kuan You declared de facto independence for Singapore. It wasn't 7 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: until two years later, on August nine, nineteen sixty when 8 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia and became an independent 9 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: sovereign nation. In nineteen fifty nine, Singapore held national elections 10 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: and the People's Association Party or p A P one 11 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: forty three of the fifty one seats in the Legislative Assembly. 12 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: The p AP he was founded in nineteen fifty four 13 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: as a pro independence political party. After the elections, it 14 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: became the first fully elected post colonial government. Singapore gained 15 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: a great degree of self rule, and the p A 16 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: P appointed Lee Kuang Yu the Prime Minister of Singapore. 17 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: The Federation of Malaya was made up of the nine 18 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: Malay states and the straight settlements of Penang and Malacca. 19 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: It had replaced the Malayan Union, which was a British 20 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: Crown colony and it gained its independence within the Commonwealth 21 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: of Nations on August thirty one, nineteen fifty seven. The 22 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: leadership of the p a P thought that Singapore, which 23 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: was small with few resources, would fare better if it 24 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: united with the Federation of Malaya. In a nineteen sixty 25 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: two referendum, seventy one of people voted in favor of 26 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: this merger, and on August thirty one, nineteen sixty three, 27 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: Prime Minister at Li Kuan You declared Singapore's independence from 28 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: British rule from the steps of City Hall. In order 29 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: to push for the merger, he pledged Singapore's loyalty to 30 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: the Federal government and Kuala Lumpur. At the ceremonial rally, 31 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: Lee said, we have the will and the wherewithal to 32 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: be a nation in our own right. That is the 33 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: right that we the people of Singapore today proclaim. But 34 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: the British government denied that this speech meant Singapore was 35 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: de facto independent. The federal and British government's questioned the 36 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: legality and validity of Singapore's claim to powers over its 37 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: defense and external affairs. The Federation of Malaysia was supposed 38 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: to be inaugurated on this day, to coincide with the 39 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: date of Malayan independence, but that was postponed until September 40 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: six so that the United Nations could have more time 41 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: to determine whether people in the Borneo territories of Saba 42 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: and Sarawak wanted to be part of Malaysia. On September six, 43 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: Singapore united with the Federation of Malaya, Saba and Sarawak 44 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: to form Malaysia. The p a P one thirty seven 45 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: seats in a general election five days later, but that 46 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: union did not last long. Malayan and Singaporean leaders could 47 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: not agree on political approach and economic and racial policy. 48 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: Singaporean politicians were unhappy with provisions in the Malaysian constitution 49 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: that gave the ethnic Malay majority special privileges, and Malaysian 50 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: politicians thought that Singapore's mostly Chinese population was a threat 51 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: to their Malay heritage. The p A P and the 52 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: United malays National Organization, the other major political party in Malaysia, 53 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: accused one another of communalism. Racial violence broke out in 54 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: Singapore in nineteen sixty four, and Malaysia's parliament voted to 55 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: expel Singapore from Malaysia. The two parties agreed to a 56 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: two year truth in September of nineteen sixty four, but 57 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: tensions did not ease by nineteen sixty five. On August nine, 58 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty five, Singapore separated from Malaysia. The proclamation declaring 59 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: Singapore's independence was announced on Radio Singapore at ten am 60 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: that day. Singapore TV also aired a press conference that 61 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: Lee called for. He explained that the separation needed to 62 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: happen even though he believed in the merger. Lee's statements 63 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: had a much sadder tone than his announcement on August 64 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 1: thirty one, nineteen sixty three, and the initial response was disappointment. 65 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: Now National Day in Singapore is celebrated on August nine, 66 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: in Dependence Day in Malaysia is August thirty one. I'm 67 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,559 Speaker 1: each Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more about 68 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. You can learn more 69 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 70 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: At t d I h C podcast Come back tomorrow 71 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: for another tidbit from history. For more podcasts from My 72 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 73 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.