Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965

The Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 was a major agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore on 7 August 1965 that formally expelled Singapore from Malaysia as a state and to be an independent sovereign country. The agreement included a Proclamation on Singapore to be made by Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman; a different Proclamation of Singapore was made by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

As a result of the agreement, Singapore permanently became distinct and separate from Malaysia with effect from 9 August 1965, and rendered the Malaysia Agreement invalid in regards to Singapore. It also became a member of the United Nations a few weeks later on 20 September with an unanimous decision. The Singapore Act 1966 followed the treaty a year after, which admitted Singapore into the Commonwealth of Nations with retroactive effect from the agreement.

Background
Singapore first achieved sovereignty on 3 June 1959 from the United Kingdom. From 1959 to 1963, Singapore was a country with full internal self-governance, but the British colonial administration still controlled external relations, similar to the Irish Free State.

On 16 September 1963, the Proclamation of Malaysia was declared, which declared the merger of four countries: Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore – the latter three already self-governing colonies by this point – into the new entity of Malaysia. With this, Singapore subsequently joined Malaysia as an autonomous state, along with Sarawak and Sabah.

Legacy
The short-lived union would prove tenuous due to various factors, including deep political and economic differences, and would end up lasting for just 1 year, 10 months and 24 days before this agreement became effective on 9 August 1965. Meanwhile, Sarawak and Sabah have remained part of Malaysia.