My reflections
Blog Topic 6

How far do you agree that the need to set up a Common Market was the most important reason for merger between Singapore and Malaya?

I agree to a certain extent that the need to set up a Common Market was the most important reason for the merger between Singapore and Malaya. Singapore's survival as an independent state would be difficult as Singapore lacked natural resources and faced a declining entrepot trade and a growing population which required jobs. Furthermore, the Malayan government introduced import and export tariffs on goods traded between two countries.

With the tariffs present, people of Singapore who wanted to trade with Malaya would earn less profit.The PAP government felt that the merger with Malaya would bring about rapid economic growth and with that, Singapore hoped that a Common Market would support Singapore's new industries. With the Common Market, goods could be bought and sold freely without needing to pay the tariff. This would increase trade, expand industries and create more jobs.

Another reason for the merger was that Singapore government also hoped that through the merger, Singapore could become completely free from British control. The British was reluctant to grant full independence partly because they feared that the communists would take over Singapore after independence was granted. If Singapore was to merge with strong anti-communist, Malaya, which was an independent nation, then Singapore could achieve complete independence.

However, Malaya was not interested in the merger because they only wanted to work out the details of the Common Market after the signing of the Malaysia Agreement whereas Singapore wanted inclusion of Common Market terms in the Malaysia Agreement.But Tunku felt that the communists might be too strong for the young PAP government to handle. Feared that Singapore might be used as a base to spread communist to Malaya. With a merger, the two countries could work together to curb communists' activities. Therefore,after considering that merger would help him deal with communist threats and that the problem of Chinese population more than the Malays could be solved by including Sarawak and Sabba in the formation of Malaysia, he decided to merge with Singapore.

In conclusion, I think that the need to set up a Common Market was the most important reason for merger between Singapore and Malaya.