REOPENING OF CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS IN LONDON (Statement by the Chief Minister)

10.25 a.m.

The Chief Minister (Mr Lim Yew Hock): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to make a statement on my London visit last month to arrange for the re-opening of constitutional talks with the Colonial Office.

I understand, Sir, the local Press has been giving wide coverage to my informal talks, and for this the Government would like to express its thanks. Some of these reports, however, were of a speculative nature. Every time I was seen or interviewed by members of the Press, I had a smile for them and I had been able to laugh my way through many an awkward question. This might have accounted for the optimistic tone of the reports which have been coming through from London. I am not striking a pessimistic note at all, but I do wish to strike a note of caution, that, unless all the ingredients are there, the cake of Merdeka cannot be well and truly baked. I am, however, quite satisfied with the trend of the informal talks and can honestly say that the prospects are good and that success is within reach; but we can only achieve this if we lay our plans well and if we all make strenuous efforts to see to it that nothing happens in the meantime to jeopardise our chances. Let us march towards Merdeka in the full realisation that this means increasing responsibilities demanding the best that is in us in the fulfilment of the destiny of our people towards a better and a fuller life. This is a national issue and in this national issue let us not allow side issues to mar its success.

And now, Sir, let me turn to the agreed agenda which reads:

1. To take note of the items in the Constitutional Proposal by the United Kingdom Government as set out in Appendix 8 of Command Paper 9777 (Annexure L. to the Legislative Assembly Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 31 of 1956), which have already been agreed to in principle.

2. Internal Security.

3. External Relations and External Defence.

4. Designation of Her Majesty's Representative in Singapore.

5. Date of coming into force of the new Constitution.

6. Position of civilian employees in the Armed Forces.

7. Any other business.

Item 1 means that what the Marshall delegation has gained during the last talks would remain, and this includes citizenship status for the many thousands of non-locally-born persons. I have heard it expressed in some quarters that I was willing to accept less than what has been offered to the Marshall delegation, and I hope this information will put an end to their loose talk.

Item 2, Sir, is an important one - a very important one. It refers to the extent to which the new constitution would permit interference in our internal security problem. Hon. Members will recollect that the Marshall delegation asked for a Malayan to be the Chairman of the Defence and Security Council proposed by the Colonial Office, but this was turned down. Failure to reach agreement on this question was the main cause of the breakdown of the last talks. Since I took over office as Chief Minister last June, I have been giving this matter considerable thought and I have also had informal discussions with my friend Tunku Abdul Rahman. The proposal which I submitted to the Colonial Office under this heading calls for an Internal Security Council to be composed of equal representation by the Singapore Government and Her Majesty's Government and a Minister from the Federation of Malaya, under the chairmanship of the representative of Her Majesty's Government. Under the proposed set-up, it will be seen that the vote of the Federation member is the deciding factor in the Internal Security Council. My proposal is based on the fact that the Federation is more closely linked with us vis-a-vis internal security than the United Kingdom. In this connection, the people of Singapore remember with gratitude the assistance of the Federation during our October riots. As to be expected, Sir, the Colonial Office had some misgivings about this proposal. The opportunity was taken of the presence in London of Tunku Abdul Rahman, and there was a joint informal discussion of the three parties - the Federation Chief Minister, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and myself. I am again indebted to Tunku Abdul Rahman for his fine and continued co-operation as a result of which the Colonial Office now considers that there is a basis for agreement.

Item 3 on External Relations and External Defence is to be further discussed in the light of my proposal under item 2.

Item 4 refers to the designation of Her Majesty's representative as apart from the representative of Her Majesty's Government. I pressed on for a Malayan Governor-General, and from the trend of the informal talks, I take heart that the new constitution may yet see a Malayan as the Queen's representative in a new State of Singapore.

Item 5, Sir, refers to the date of coming into force of the new constitution, and hon. Members are already aware of the intention of the Government.

Item 6, Sir, brings in for discussion the position of the many thousands of civilian employees in the Armed Services. This is a matter on which I will be holding discussions with the trade union organisations that represent them.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the question that crops up in the mind of everyone, inside and outside the Assembly, is, "Will the delegation for the resumption of talks with the Colonial Office in March be an All-Party one or a Government one?" The answer to this question, Sir, is obvious. To ensure success, I must first of all ensure that there is unity in the delegation. I mean to ensure that the performance of the last delegation is not repeated. I want to bring a united force to London, a force that can be relied upon to bring the cake home. Another failure will be too much for the people of Singapore to bear. Another failure will mean a grave blow to the democratic forces in Singapore and will make the ground fertile for subversive forces to operate. I propose to call as soon as possible a conference of all Parties represented in the Assembly, after which I will be in a better position to make up my mind as to the composition of the delegation.

Mr Speaker, Sir, during my meetings with the Secretary of State and with his officials, there was an air of cordiality and goodwill, and this has helped much to bring about a better understanding of the position. I hope the same spirit of cordiality and goodwill will prevail in March. I would like, Sir, to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Her Majesty's Government for their hospitality during my stay in London.

Sir. I had several discussions with Malayan students in London, and I was impressed by their awareness of the trend of events in Malaya and by their enthusiasm and political acumen. This, indeed, augurs well for the future.

Mr D. S. Marshall (Cairnhill): If it please you, Mr Speaker, Sir, I am sure that both sides of the House and the country are happy and relieved to learn of the bright prospects for merdeka; but will the Chief Minister inform us of the exact date-I think it has never been made known to the House-for the conference to be held, and reassure us that the holding of fresh elections in August 1957 is not only a possibility but will, in fact, if the talks are successful, take place?

The Chief Minister: The talks will reopen on the 11th of March, which I understand is the Ides of March. As far as the elections go, the Government is committed, to holding elections in August this year.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Tanjong Pagar): Since the Chief Minister has cited the cordial and hospitable manner in which he was treated as an indication of bright prospects, may we ask him if he is aware that when his predecessor went to London he was treated with even greater cordiality before the final blowup?