EXCHANGE OF LETTERS BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE FEDERATION OF MALAYA (Statement by the Prime Minister)

2.32 p.m.

The Prime Minister (Mr Lee Kuan Yew): Mr Speaker, Sir, last week the Barisan Sosialis in Singapore issued a statement in which they violently attacked the Federation Government for the proposed amendments to the Federation Constitution now before the Federation Parliament. The Federation Government can and doubtless will in due course take care of such violent attacks themselves. But in the course of the statement, the Barisan Sosialis made a wild allegation that the purpose of one of the amendments was to facilitate removal of the reserve powers of the Singapore State Government, with particular reference to reserve State powers in education and labour.

In their campaign to create confusion among the people over their constitutional position after merger, they have recklessly first demanded merger as a 12th State like Penang arid offered to surrender education and labour to the Central Government. Now, on realising that the people wish education and labour to be reserve powers of the State, they are taking the contradictory line that these reserve powers, though valuable, will not be left alone.

I now publish for information of Members an exchange of letters between myself and the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya. These letters were exchanged at the time prior to the publication of the White Paper on 11th November, 1961. In my letter, I wrote:

TEXT OF THE LETTER FROM THE PRIME MINISTER, MR LEE KUAN YEW, TO THE FEDERATION'S PRIME MINISTER, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PUTRA AL-HAJ. DATED NOVEMBER 11, 1961 `My dear Prime Minister, You will be leaving for London on 16th November, 1961, for discussions with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on your far-reaching proposals for the creation of the Federation of Malaysia comprising the eleven States of the present Federation of Malaya, the States of Singapore and Brunei and the territories of Sarawak and North Borneo. You carry with you the support of the people of the Federation of Malaya and also of Singapore. We in Singapore have always recognised that the destiny of Singapore lies in a merger with the Federation of Malaya. I am happy that we have reached agreement on the constitutional framework between Singapore and the present Federation of Malaya in the new Federation of Malaysia. I shall be publishing as a White Paper the memorandum which you and I have agreed upon. May I record your assurance to me that these heads of agreement will be amended only after preliminary consultations between us, and only after agreement would the matter he referred for approval of Parliament by the majority of members. When you set out in your last mission to London in January 1956 you brought hack Merdeka to the Federation of Malaya, and with it peace and prosperity for the people. May your present mission bring stability, prosperity and happiness for all the people of Malaysia. Yours sincerely, Signed: Lee Kuan Yew.'

In his reply of the same date (11th November, 1961), the Prime Minister of the Federation wrote as follows:

TEXT OF REPLY FROM THE FEDERATION'S PRIME MINISTER, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PUTRA AL-HAJ, TO THE PRIME MINISTER, MR LEE KUAN YEW, DATED NOVEMBER 11, 1961 `My dear Prime Minister, Thank you very much for your letter of the 11th November, 1961, in which you conveyed the support and good wishes of the Government and people of Singapore for the success of my forthcoming discussions in London with the Prime Minister of Britain. With regard to the memorandum which you propose to publish as a White Paper, I am to confirm that the heads of agreement including State and Federal responsibilities should serve as the basic proposals for merger and the extent of local autonomy to be retained by Singapore. Of course in the light of experience certain amendments, modifications, alterations and revocations may have to be made in respect of those proposals, in particular the Federal and State responsibilities. However, when such action is contemplated there should be preliminary consultations between us and only after agreement would the matter be referred for approval of Parliament by the majority of members. May I wish you and your colleagues all the best in the coming Legislative Assembly when you will be launching this historic debate which no doubt will have far reaching effect for the future well being and security of Singapore and Malaya as a whole. Yours sincerely, Signed: Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra.'

Sir, the letters record that the heads of agreement contained in the White Paper Cmd. 33 of 1961 spelling out the reserve powers for Singapore can be amended only after preliminary consultations between us, and only after agreement would the matter be referred for the approval of Parliament by the majority of the members there.

In his letter confirming this, the Federation Prime Minister made reference to the fact that in the light of experience certain amendments, modification, alterations and revocations may have to be made in respect of those proposals, in particular the Federal and State responsibilities.

No modification is contemplated for education or labour. The modifications that may arise in the light of experience refer to the other subjects and responsibilities, other than education and labour, which have been entrusted in the heads of agreement reached between the Singapore and the Federation Governments.

By way of example, the working Party has now reached agreement with the approval of both Governments that shipping should be placed on the concurrent list, but that fisheries, which was a pan-Malayan department before the war, should be placed on the Federal list. These two subjects were left out of the Schedule published in Command Paper 33 of 1961 as there was then still discussion as to the ultimate division of responsibility in these two subjects.

If and when alteration is contemplated, there will be prior consultation and prior agreement.

Further, at the meeting of the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee in Kuala Lumpur 10 days ago, the Minister for Health and Social Welfare of the Federation of Malaya, as leader of the Federation delegation, agreed in reply to questions submitted by delegates from North Borneo and Sarawak that constitutional safeguards were desirable and that an individual State which is given autonomy in respect of a particular subject not conceded as a State subject in the other States in the present Federation can have constitutional safeguards to be worked out by constitutional experts.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I have put in copies of the exchange of letters for the information of Members.

Copies of the letters handed in to the Clerk.

Mr Speaker: That statement, of course, is open to question, if any. No questions? The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the Day.