Video #15 - Singapore: Relations with Malaysia
Tuesday, January 10, 2006BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Malaysia's first inhabitants are said to have been immigrant ancestors of the Orang Asli who arrived 5,000 years ago from China and Tibet. They were followed by the Malays who brought with them skills in farming and the use of metals. The Hindu-Buddhist period of Malaysia that began around the first century B.C. is evident in the temples of the Bujang Valley and the Merbok Estuary in Kedah in the northwest of the peninsula, near the Thai border. This era came to an end when Islam was introduced by Arab and Indian traders in the 13th century. At this time, the Malay-Hindu rulers of the Melaka Sultanate, the Malay kingdom which ruled both sides of the Straits of Malaka for over a hundred years, converted to Islam. This change had a profound effect on Malay society.
The next dramatic change came with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1511. The Europeans captured Malaka and the rulers of the Melaka Sultanate fled to Johor where they tried to establish a new kingdom. They were resisted not only by the Europeans but by the Acehnese, Minangkabau and the Bugis, resulting in the sovereign units of the present-day states of Peninsular Malaysia. In 1641, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese and remained in control of the region until the British acquired Melaka from them in 1824 in exchange for Bencoolen in Sumatra. From their new bases in Malaka, Benang and Singapore, known as the Straits Settlements, the British began the process of integrating the Malay states politically into the states of Peninsular Malaysia.
The first known references about Singapore are reported in the third century from a Chinese account calling it Pu-luo-chung, or "island at the end of a peninsula". In 1320, there is another record of the Mongol court sending a mission to Long Yamen (Dragon's Tooth Strait) to get elephants. Experts claim this may be Keppel Harbour. Wang Dayuan, who visited from China in 1330, called the main settlement Pancur (spring) and reported that there were Chinese living there.
The Sanskrit name, Singapura (Lion City), was commonly used by the 14th century. During this period, Singapore was caught in the struggles between Siam (now Thailand) and the Java-based Majapahit Empire for control over the Malay Peninsula.
Subsequently, Singapore was a part of Malaysia under the Malaka Sultanate and then under the British. Furthermore, in 1946, after World War II and the Japanese occupation from 1941-45, the British created the Malayan Union. The Federation of Malaya, which emerged in its place in 1948, gained its independence from Britain on August 31, 1957. On May 27, 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaya's Prime Minister, proposed closer political and economic cooperation between the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei in the form of a merger. The main terms were to have central government responsibilty for defense, foreign affairs and internal security, but local autonomy in matters pertaining to education and labor. A referendum on the terms of the merger held in Singapore on September 1, 1962 showed overwhelming support for unification. By September of 1963, Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah, and Singapore united to form Malaysia. "...a country whose potpourri of society and customs derives from its rich heritage from four of the world's mayor cultures - Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Western." (Atlas Explorer)
However, two years later, August 9,1965, Singapore separated from the rest of Malaysia to become a sovereign, democratic and independent nation. The reasons for the separation vary: the general consensus is that Malaysia told Singapore it was on its own. (Some sources mention "communality vs. communism," others mention racial riots and labor strikes, still others mention personal differences between the leaders of the two states). Since the split, the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has resembled that of a divorced couple: full of interdependence, disagreements and pain. Furthermore, "Singapore officials privately say that Malaysia often patronises it as a type of "younger brother". In reply, Malaysians have accused Singapore of "arrogant behavior."
One of the issues between them is water, a resource they have traded for over seventy years. There have been four water agreements - in 1927, 1961,1962 and 1990. The last three are still in force. The fourth concerns the building of the Linggiu dam and Singapore's purchase of treated water from Johor.
Another issue dividing the two nations is Pedra Branca, or as Malaysia calls it, Batu Puteh (White Rock). A Singapore naval vessel and a container ship collided in the waters around the islet and refocused attention on this piece of rock at the eastern entrance to the Strait of Singapore. The city's officials say that Kuala Lumpur staked a claim to the islet only in 1979, including it on a map of its territorial waters, while Singapore has controlled Pedra Branca since the 1840's. The dispute is so heated that both sides will take the issue to the International Court of Justice for a solution.
Furthermore, Malaysia and Singapore are also arguing over Singapore's land-reclamation project, which Kuala Lumpur claims will narrow shipping lanes that run between the island and Malaysia's Johor state.
Australian political scientist, John Funston claims "it's possible (Malaysian P.M. Mahathir) Muhamad is playing the Singapore card as a diversionary tactic. In spite of his strengthened political position post-September 11, its doubtful he has won back all Malay support, and taking a strong line against Singapore is one issue he can use to unite Malays." In spite of an agreement between Mahathir and Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew to patch up their differences, recent events have delayed follow-up talks. To complicate matters, in April of 2002, Taiwan's Evergreen Marine shifted its operations from Singapore to Pelepas, in Malaysia... following the lead of Maersk Sealand, the world's largest shipping line and the Port of Singapore Authority's biggest customer. These deals could take away 15%-20% of the business away from Singapore.
The rivalry is also fueled by Johor's bid to develop its international transit cargo hub roads and customs facilities. Malaysia is also planning road and rail bridges to replace its side of the current road and rail causeway, which now makes the strait impassable to through traffic. It will include a navigation channel of up to 25 meters deep that theoretically could enable ships calling at Pelepas to bypass Singapore territorial waters as they travel to Northeast Asia. However, Singapore's land reclamation project could impede traffic to Pelepas and Pasir Gudang.
Another thorn on the two nations' sides is a September 2002 agreement between Lee and Mahathir to build a suspension bridge across the Johor Strait jointly in order to replace the current causeway. In January, 2003, Malaysia unilaterally announced plans to build a road-and rail bridge to replace its half of the causeway only.
The issues are so varied, the pain so profound and the area so interdependent that the International Court of Justice has its hands full. The problems could persist for years.
SOURCES
Aglionby, John, "Gunboat diplomacy in the Singapore straits." The Guardian, January 2, 2003.
"Malaysia History." Atlas Explorer, 2203 resorthotel.net
"Singapore History." Singapore 1994 Inic.utexas.edu/asnic/countries/Singapore/Singapore-History.html
Devan, Janadas, "Water Words." TheStraitsTimes Interactive Lloyd-Smith, Jake and Baradan Kuppusamy, "Singapore and Malaysia trade barbs over water price and an island's status." Singapore Window, January 28, 2003.
Saywell, Trish and S. Jayasankaran, "FEER: Singapore-Malaysia Relations - Dire Straits." December 4,2002. www.feer.com/articles/2002/0204_18/p022region.html
LESSON PLAN
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:
10-12 grade Economics, International Relations, World History, Geography, International Baccalaureate Programs (IB), Current Events.
PURPOSE:
To present activities to be used in a variety of classroom situations in order to enhance student understanding of the Riau economy and its significance globally.
OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to:
- Locate Singapore and Malaysia on a map of Southeast Asia.
- Explain the historical interdependence between the two nations.
- List the major issues in contention between the two.
- Propose possible solutions to the issues between them.
MATERIALS:
- Background information provided.
- Resources on Singapore and Malaysia available at your school's Media Center and the Public Library System in your area.
- Background information available through Internet "search engines"
- www.singapore-window.org/malaysia.htm (a list of relevant articles)
ACTIVITIES:
May be assigned as group activities or as individual tasks. They may also be designed as preparation for related presentations either by individuals or groups.
- Illustrate Singapore and Malaysia on a map of Southeast Asia.
- Develop a time line of events linking the history of both nations.
- Research the reasons for Singapore's independence from Malaysia.
- Allow cooperative learning groups to investigate each of the issues both nations are debating and recommend possible solutions to each.
EVALUATION:
Individual assignments should be graded by the teacher using established criteria.
Group activities, presentations and projects may be evaluated by teachers and students using the following criteria and scale: Content 1 = Superior (A) Creativity 2 = Excellent (B) Clarity 3 = Good (C) 4 = Fair (D) 5 = Poor (F)
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