'Albatross file' with details of top-level talks before Singapore separated from Malaysia to be declassified, released publicly

Parts of the Albatross file on display at a special exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore in 2015. 

Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

• The Government has agreed to declassify and release documents in a file known as the "Albatross file" compiled by the late Dr Goh Keng Swee
• The file relates in part to the discussions between Singapore and Malaysia leading up to the Separation Agreement in August 1965
• Contrary to popular perception that Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, it presents a more nuanced picture of events
• Some of the file's declassified documents are to appear in a book on separation to be published later this year

JUSTIN ONG

February 28, 2023


SINGAPORE — The Government has agreed to declassify and release documents in Dr Goh Keng Swee’s "famous Albatross file", Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 28).

This is a file that the late Dr Goh, who is considered one of Singapore's founding fathers, kept in the run-up to Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in August 1965.

Commentary: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew and the founding fathers as we celebrate Singapore's independence and success today

As Singapore celebrates its birthday, let us recall the final words of Mr Lee at a press conference 57 years ago on August 9
 over the separation: “We unite regardless of race, language, religion, culture.” Nuria Ling/TODAY

EDMUND LIM

August 9, 2022

In former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s latest book, Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, he described former Singapore’s founding prime minister Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as one of the six transformational leaders.

These outstanding leaders, which also included ex-US president Richard Nixon and former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, had two key leadership modes of “prophet” which is transformational and visionary, as well as “statesman” which is managerial and pragmatic.

Why Lee Kuan Yew (SG History Personalised I)

 The video above covers the history of Singapore from the founding by Raffles. 

From 11:39 in the video, the narrative is typical of a Western-influenced perspective of Lee Kuan Yew, the Dictator.

Which is "forgiven" because LKY was on the whole "benevolent" and he succeeded in making Singapore a success. And success can forgive many things. And forget some things.

Lee Kuan Yew - a short video biography

Comment on the video:

This is good. I would have veered into hagiography. This is more balanced. Some thoughts: 

The Ukraine Situation - sort of like Konfrontasi.

When Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak (and also Brunei, but they later withdrew) wanted to join the Federation of Malaya in the early 1960s, Indonesia was against the proposal. And when the Federation added these 3 states in 1963, Indonesia initiated Konfrontasi. 

Have you ever asked, "why Konfrontasi?" WTF does Singapore joining the Federation of Malaya got to do with Indonesia, right? 

Because Sukarno (then president of Indonesia) had a vision of a Greater Indonesia, one similar to the old empire (Majapahit, I think). Similarly, Putin has ambition (or vision, or delusion) of the old Soviet Union where Ukraine is "My Kraine".

So now Ukraine (like Singapore in early 1960s) wants to join NATO (analogous to Federation of Malaya), possibly eventually, joining the EU, but that's another story. Russia (analogous to Indonesia during Konfrontasi) wants Ukraine for herself, and objects. And the threatened invasion is similar to Konfrontasi, except Russia has quite a bit more capacity to prosecute a war than Indonesia in the 1960s. So if Russia objects militarily, it would be a lot more than a few saboteurs sent to Ukraine.

Why Konfrontasi?

[Edited, 1/4/2022]

If you search "Why did Konfrontasi happened?" you will get some "official" answers.

If you are like me, you would be dissatisfied with the answers. 

Officially, this is Singapore's sanitised history:

Konfrontasi (or Confrontation, 1963–1966) was Indonesia’s response to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, arising from the British decolonisation process in Southeast Asia. Konfrontasi involved armed incursions, bomb attacks and other subversive acts aimed at destabilising the states that were to be included in the Federation, namely, Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak, Brunei and North Borneo (now known as Sabah).
When the concept of Malaysia was first mooted publicly by Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in May 1961, the Indonesian government initially did not raise any objections. It began to express opposition to the Malaysia proposal shortly after the Brunei Revolt of December 1962.

You may be satisfied with the above. Or you might dig deeper. Like what were the basis of Indonesian objection or opposition to the formation of the Federation? Further along, you read:

Indonesia criticised the Malaysia plan as a British “neo-colonialist project” and a threat to their country’s security. 

Which is diplomat-speak for "because I don't like!"

Singapore - The accidental country

 I found this video covering the events of Singapore's independence, from a foreign history (or geography) "student".

He speaks a little fast, but he gets his points across. And not being Singaporean, his understanding (or interest) in the specifics was not too "cheem". And he was more concerned with borders, than with history.

Comment on Operation Coldstore

To make clear when I am presenting my opinion, and when I am presenting facts or other's perspective, or official records, I will post them separately.

LKY's "Fireside Chats" of 1961 is presented in a previous post. And this commentary came about firstly because a historian suggested that Operation Coldstore (1963) was politically motivated, and that there were no communists. Or something like that. And that LKY was a purveyor of fake news. Or something like that. Or that is what I was led to believe from a cursory reading of the confrontation between the Minister and the Historian.

Pre-Merger struggles with the Communists - Lee Kuan Yew's Radio Broadcast

From Sept 1961, Lee Kuan Yew had a series of "fireside chats" broadcast on Radio. It was his attempt to explain and persuade fledgling "Singaporeans" (I do not know if we were legitimately or even customarily called that at the time) why we should seek Merger with Malaysia.

The links to these "fireside chats" (that is not their official name, but I believe LKY patterned the series of radio talks on FDR's) are attached, with the first few lines of the transcript included (in blue), and then my summary. (The audio recordings are listed here.)

There are 12 fireside chats here.