It is now clear from these documents that the Malaysian Solidarity Convention (MSC) wasn’t just a matter of principle for a Malaysian Malaysia but a strategy to gain an upper hand in the fight for political ground.
In a note to the Singapore Cabinet on Feb 15, 1965, Mr Lee wrote: “We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into silence by the expectation that there may be re-arrangements which make counterattacks on them unnecessary, or worse, unwise , as this may affect our getting an advantage in the rearrangement … We have to also consider going up to organise meetings in Malacca, Seremban, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, where the battle can be taken to their home ground.”
The formation of the MSC was a major cause of the widening rift between the two sides leading ultimately to the Tunku deciding on nothing less than a complete break with Singapore.
Did the PAP overplay its hand? How could it not know the consequences of taking the battle to the mainland, in open opposition to KL?
