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| (Photo: Yusof Ishak Collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore) |
From: Paul Ooi Modelworks
Takeaway from the above:
1) SG was concerned that MY may be like the CCP/PRC and try to "re-unite" SG... forcibly if need be.
2) Not stated in the above was Malaysia's "aggression". Here's the comment:
"So in those days, Malaysia had infantry regiments stationed in Singapore who refused to leave despite our government's requests. our prime minister was escorted by malaysian soldiers when foreign dignitaries had an event here on the insistence of malaysia. It is was malaysia telling the world that Singapore is still malaysia bitch.
at any rate, the AMX were secretly brought into singapore and tankers were boot camped into how to drive the tank. The truth of the matter was that it was so rushed that the tankers didnt even know how to turn the turret and raise the gun which is why the tanks never did that signature armour column salute.
So why was it so rushed? well, it was a giant middle finger to malaysia. at that point, malaysia had a grand total of 0 tanks. and malaysia's posture was extremely aggressive militarily. 9th august 1969 was the day the arms race began. but kind of like the space race, one side decided it wasn't worth the money but they other, richer, side just kept pumping money in.
But let this be a lesson that no matter how much NS is a pain, it only takes 1 election to change foreign relations. Notice how tense it was when mahathir took office then suddenly went back to peaceful when he left? Remember that the most recent territorial dispute back in feb19 was when mahathir was in office. it was so tense that ships were literally facing each other off.
Foreign policies can change overnight, but you can't raise an army in that time. always remember that malaysia and indonesia may be our friends now, but a lot can happen in 1 election.
[Addendum: In 2024, Singapore announced our intent to purchase 8 F35A. We already ordered 12 F35B, to be delivered from 2026 to 2030. This would put the RSAF way over the rest of the air forces in the region. And we don't make these purchases in secret. Because the purpose of such purchases is to show the world what we have, and what any aggressor will be facing.
"...we don't keep our defence purchases secret. We proclaim it. We advertise it. We make sure EVERYBODY knows we have it. And KNOW how much Singapore outclass them in defence. If we appear weak, we will look like Ukraine (to Putin), or Kuwait (to Saddam)."
The point of our weapons is defence. If defence means a potential aggressor weighs the costs of an invasion as too high, we have achieved defence without firing a shot.]
[From Quora
Back in the late 60’s, after the AMX-13 debacle, Singapore and Malaysia had a spoken but unwritten agreement between the two to prevent an unnecessary arms race in the region. Nobody wants to provoke Indonesia whose mere cough can spark panic in the region.
Neither country will introduce a system that will overwhelm the other. Each country’s introduction of weapon and technology will pace one another. After all, both are fledging nations that have greater need for education and workforce investments.
AMX-13 debacle, 1969.
When Singapore held her first National Day parade, an armoured column of 18 French made AMX-13s rolled past the audience.
Then Malaysian leader, Tunku Abdul Rahman, was said to have stood in shock at this blatant display of defiance and threat. It was also said that, Tunku and Lee got into a shouting match over the phone.
Tunku Rahman expelled Singapore merely to teach Lee a lesson, accept UMNO's terms or starve. He had expected Lee to come back to him and beg to rejoin to the Federation, not buy tanks! He had no intention of threatening Singapore’s existence. The tanks, bought in secret, changed the game. Now, the Malaysian leader felt threatened.
It was later rumoured that Lee Kuan Yew privately felt the introduction of the AMX-13 in 1969 was premature as it fundamentally altered relations between the two nations.
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| Lee and Tunku |
Following Precedence.
Since the ‘70s, the SAF and the MAF made careful and highly publicised moves introducing military technology to not upset the careful balance between the two.
After Singapore’s AMX-13 (75mm gun), the Malaysians acquired the British Scorpion 90 light tank and the Belgium Sibmas 90, both armed with 90mm guns, in the early ‘80s.
Even with upgrades, Singapore did not choose a higher calibre gun for the AMX-13SM1. Instead, they stuck with the antiquated 75mm gun even though they had slightly greater numbers (210:250).
Singapore bought AH-64D Apache Longbows in the late ’90s but never flew them into Singapore due to the unwritten agreement.
By 2006, Singapore's AMX-13 tanks were pushing 50 years since they rolled off the production line in the 1950s. The old tanks were literally falling apart. SAF bought the replacement Leopard 2A4 in 2006 but only brought them into Singapore from 2008–2009, after Malaysia received her PT-91M.
Several years after Singapore received its L2SG, Malaysia embarked on her future tank acquisition to balance the force between them.
The eventuality of stealth
As yet, not one country in the region officially owns stealth combat aircraft although that may change in the near future. [Singapore has ordered the F35, the first batch to be delivered in 2026/7. This article was obviously written before Singapore placed the order.]
You can see how this is going to play out should either side acquire stealth platforms. The first of them to acquire anything game changing will inform the other side early.
Ceteris Paribus, both nations will eventually adopt some kind of stealth plane to gain parity with each other.
In summary, both nations practice a kind of very safe and respectful brinkmanship.
Both Malaysia and Singapore also operate systems with unintentional stealthy characteristics. UAVs flown by both sides are largely made with fibreglass and commonly remain undetected by radars.
Dancing on knife’s edge
The decades following 1969 have seen several brinkmanship episodes teetering on the brink of armed confrontations.
Both country’s armed forces been placed on alert several times over the decades which largely stayed out of the limelight. Unfortunately for three such years the threats was so tangible it became public in 1988, 1991, and 2001 over several issues.
It should be noted that while Singapore and Malaysia maintained warm bilateral and familiar ties, it has been observed that Malaysian politicians would often use Singapore as a punching bag when it came to elections. Old issues long solved were again dredged up to the surface to rile a voter base who viewed the small island south as a bully.
On the checker board of game theory, small nations that do not have adequate means to defend themselves will always be devoured by larger nations. The strong do what they want, the weak suffer what they must, thus spoke Thucydides as Lee Kuan Yew was fond of quoting.
Speaking to Straits Times journalists in Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was emphatic about the threat posed by Singapore’s immediate neighbours; they will ‘knock us about’ and ‘harass us’ if Singapore does not have a defence capability.
This is why Singapore needs a defence premium – not only to ensure that it would have the military wherewithal to repel an aggressor, but also to enable it to remain free from coercion.
The fact is that small countries have been bullied, bargained over and even dismembered through the millennia. Here, realists cite the Melian Dialogue, which describes how the stronger Athenians overwhelmed the tiny island of Melos in 416 B.C. Indeed, the Athenian pronouncement – that’”the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must’ – still endures today.
Source: IISS
Although Singapore today operates in a somewhat benign environment, it cannot be debated that the region is anything but peaceful as players seek to assert their influence in the region. Piracy has been on the rise and bigger players now coerce smaller players in the region to ‘bow’ to them, quoted in verbatim. Singapore and Malaysia are pulled into the tug of war between giants.
As the feisty porcupine along some of the most strategic shipping choke points in the world, Singapore’s existence depends on her keeping the shipping lanes open as she imports 90% of her food supply.
Her daring do and flaming shield has kept a tenuous balance amongst the triumvirate, while theatrics for votes have been a common game, her neighbours understood how fragile this precious peace is that now exists between the three.]
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