UNVEILING THE ROLE OF THE LEADER OF THE FEDERATION OF MALAYA IN ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF SINGAPORE (1961-1963)

After independence, the leaders of the Federation of Malaya government paid attention towards the realization of the idea of Malaysia. The leader of the federal government was led by the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman-Tun Abdul Razak. The idea involved three regions, namely the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. However, efforts to realize the idea raise several issues that need to be addressed by the leaders of the Federation of Malaya government in a wise and wise manner. The issues also involved all the regions or states involved, including Singapore. Thus, this paper will discuss the role played by the leaders of the Federation of Malaya government in addressing the Singapore issue to resolve the turmoil so that this idea can be implemented successfully. The approach in this study is qualitative by using historical disciplines based on primary and secondary sources. The study period began from May 1961 to September 1963 as this period had great significance in the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The findings found that there were several issues involving Singapore such as British colonial strategic interests, addressing Communist threats, political problems and racial composition. Nevertheless, the issues faced were successfully resolved when Singapore became part of the Federation of Malaysia which was declared on 16 September 1963.