Four Nations To Form Malaysia

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30179, 10 July 1963, Page 15

Four Nations To Form Malaysia

Press Auoctution— CouynqM) • LONDON, July 9. An agreement to establish the Federation of Malaysia on August 31 was signed in London just after midnight today. Malaysia, rich in tin, rubber and timber, will, have a population of about 10 million persons.

It will be composed of the independent nation of Malaya, the self-governing island State of Singapore, and the British Colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak.

The agreement to form the federation marked the end of nearly 10 days of intensive negotiations with delegates holding several all-night meetings. Hie constitution of the Federation provides for Islam to be the national religion, but in Sarawak and North Borneo there will be no State religion.

Religious freedom everywhere is guaranteed. Official Language

Although Malay will become the national language, the constitution provides for English to be used as the official language. The Sultanate of Brunei at the last moment decided to stay out of Malaysia for the time being. The British Prime Minister, Mr Macmillan, said at the simple signing ceremony he hoped “this bold and imaginative development and evolution of our Commonwealth will establish a new focus of peace, freedom and stability in South-east Asia." “Success Story”

Mr Macmillan said Malaya and Singapore had provided the success story of Asia which he hoped would continue on a larger scale with Malaysia The territories were blessed with great material wealth and with a diversity of human stocks. They provided a pattern an object lesson, of multi-racial harmony, he said.

“I hope that this will be extended throughout South-east Asia and copied throughout the free world,” he said. Staying In Commonwealth Malaya's Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, said Malaysia would be a member of the Commonwealth and would be proud of it. He referred to the difficult negotiations which had taken place and said in some quarters Malaysia had been welcomed but in others it had

been described as an imperialist design. Referring to the absence of Brunei he said: "However, we do not despair. We hope that with the states we have here we will make a go of it. and we hope that she will be in in the long run.” Position of Sultan

“It is regrettable that negotiations broke down purely on the question of the precedence of His Highness the Sultan of Brunei (Sir Omar Ali Saiffudin) as agreement had been reached on all other matters," he said. Brunei’s refusal means that for the present the projected federation will be without its 2226 square miles of territory and 83.000 inhabitants. Brunei has an oil revenue of over 90 million Malayan dollars a year and has investments which bring in about 25 million dollars a year. In a prepared statement the Brunei delegation said the Government of Malaya had informed it yesterday that it found itself in a position where it was unable to give effect to the terms previously agreed or to the assurances repeatedly given. The statement said that the Sultan of Brunei had always made clear it was his desire that his country should enter Malaysia. It was the Sultan's understanding that the terms of Brunei’s entry would conform to two principles. The first was that entry should be on freely negotiated terms.

The second was the special position of the Sultan whose people should be recognised and protected in accordance with the assurances given to the Sultan by the Malayan Government “many months ago."

A Brunei spokesman when asked if the door had been left open for further negoUations said: “Not at the present time."