Dr Mark Frost Features in CNA Documentary on Singapore’s 1965 Separation from Malaysia

This summer, Dr. Mark Frost, Associate Professor of Public History, joined a CNA Insider documentary series uncovering the story of Singapore’s 1965 Separation from Malaysia by drawing on newly declassified documents at the National Archives 

What really happened in the two months before the resolution was made to split Singapore from Malaysia? Declassified British letters, oral histories and personal recollection reveal that it was no simple decision despite irreconcilable ideologies. Instead, the path to separation was filled with dramatic twists and turns, secrets and deception. 

This episode unpacks all the intractable differences between warring political leaders, the outrage and anger and threats of violence behind the failure of the Federation of Malaysia and how that led to an unsalvageable situation, where only separation would prevent a bloodbath. The mastermind behind the separation is revealed, along with how the British, an important stakeholder, was deliberately kept in the dark.