The Pros And Cons Of Lee Kuuan Yew And The Separament Agreement

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Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew signed the Malaysia Agreement in London on 9 July 1963. The agreement spelt out the terms for the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, comprising Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah), which was to take place on 31 August 1963. In Singapore, Mr Lee had asked then Law Minister E. W. Barker to draft the separation agreement at the end of July, along with other legal documents such as the Proclamation of Independence. As the deadline of 9 August neared, Goh Zuo Tong and E.W Barker made arrangements to travel to Kuala Lumpur to finalise the separation, arriving quietly in the capital on 6 August. Lee Kuan Yew, who was in Cameron Highlands at that time, left for Kuala Lumpur and also arrived on 6 August to study and approve the separation documents. Lee Kuan Yew then flew back to Singapore on 8 August on a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet so that he could get the separation agreement signed by the rest of his cabinet members. During the press conference, Lee Kuan Yew explained why the separation was inevitable despite his long-standing belief in the merger, and called on the people to remain firm and calm. Filled with emotions and his eyes brimming with tears, Lee Kuan Yew had given Singaporeans a glimpse of their leader’s “moment of anguish”. On Aug 31, 1963, Lee Kuan Yew had defiantly declared Singapore’s independence. He refused to wait and comply with the Malayan Parliament’s decision to proclaim Malaysia on

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