Why was Singapore once a dependency of Malaysia and forced to become independent?

At the end of the 20th century, thanks to the industrial transfer of developed countries, Singapore's economy also developed rapidly and became one of the "Four Little Dragons in Asia". Today, Singapore has already entered the ranks of developed countries in the world, with an annual per capita GDP of nearly $64,000, ranking eighth in the world.

In modern times, Singapore, like most Asian countries, suffered humiliation and war from foreign powers. Since the era of opening up new routes, Singapore is located in the Straits of Malacca, and it is also a high-quality rubber producing area, playing a huge role in marine trade. 1824, Singapore officially became an overseas colony of Britain, and then Britain expanded to Southeast Asia on this basis.

After the beginning of World War II, as the Japanese spread the war to Southeast Asia, Singapore and the whole Malay Peninsula were also taken over by the Japanese. Although the British returned after the war, they were unable to maintain their overseas colonies because of the huge consumption caused by the war. Moreover, with the awakening of national liberation consciousness in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with the efforts of Tengku, the father of the country, the Malay Peninsula finally took the lead in independence and became the Malayan Federation. At this time, although Singapore enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, it was still a colony in essence.

Although Malaya took the lead in independence, the problems of neighboring small countries, including Singapore, have not been effectively solved. 196 1 year, Tengku proposed a plan to unite Singapore, Malaya and Brunei to form the Federation of Malaysia. 1963 In September, Singapore officially got rid of its colonial status and became a part of Malaysia.

When it comes to Singapore's joining Malaysia, it also has its own considerations. Regardless of its economic development, Singapore is still a truly small country, not counting the land reclamation in the later period. When Singapore was founded, its area was less than 600 square kilometers. Small territory means insufficient defense depth. In case of foreign invasion, a small Singapore alone has no resistance at all. Singapore is a small country, but it occupies a strategic position in the Straits of Malacca. Joining Malaysia is also beneficial to its own security.

In addition to national defense security, with the help of Malaysia's vast hinterland, it not only overcomes the problem of lack of its own resources, but also expands the market.

However, the honeymoon period between Singapore and Malaysia soon ended. Only two years later, Singapore was kicked out of Parliament with an absolute advantage of 126 votes in favor and 0 votes against. As for why Singapore was driven away again, it was nothing more than political and economic factors.

Malaysia advocates "Malaysia for Malays" and divides its domestic citizens into classes, that is, Malays are first-class citizens, while the rest of Chinese and Indian citizens are second-class. However, Chinese residents in Malaysia account for 44% of the total population. Almost like Malays, Chinese are the people who control the economic lifeline.

After Singapore experienced two waves of immigration at the end of19th century, Chinese became the absolute main ethnic group. Due to the increasingly fierce contradictions between the two sides, Malays are increasingly worried that Chinese will become the dominant ethnic group in the future.

Another point is economic reasons. Due to its unique geographical advantages, Singapore has achieved good economic development through foreign port trade in the early days and is the richest member of the Federation. The remaining two Sabah and Sarawak, located in East Malaysia, are mainly Malays, which are more in line with Malaysia's political philosophy, but they are really dragging their feet economically.

Because Singapore is the richest region, it has to pay high taxes to the federal government every year, and the proportion is still increasing. This seems to be robbing Singapore of its wealth and helping other poor member countries. However, while robbing the rich to help the poor, Malaya is unwilling to further open its market to Singapore, and the only products that enter the market should be taxed more.

Under the irreconcilable political and economic contradictions, the alliance finally decided to sweep Singapore out of the house. 1On August 9, 965, Singapore officially became an independent country. Subsequently, Singapore vigorously developed its foreign trade-oriented economy and eventually became the only developed country in Southeast Asia.

Although Malaysia and Singapore "broke up", in the supply of fresh water resources, Malaysia has always wanted to give up the previous agreement to raise water prices, which has also caused frequent contradictions between them. In addition, the Branca Branca, which is only the size of a football field, is also a focus of territorial competition between the two sides.