SINGAPORE – During the 1964 race riots, the Chinese families in Ms Suzie Quek’s kampung agreed that they would beat their pots and pans at the first sign of an approaching mob, so that they could quickly band together for safety.
On Dec 8, 2025, as she watched a dramatised retelling of the those turbulent months before the Separation, memories of the fear caused by that metallic din came rushing back to the retired pharmacist.
“I was terrified whenever I heard the noise. Although I did not know what was happening, I knew that trouble was brewing,” said Ms Quek, now 67.
The 22-minute film is one of four sections of The Albatross File: Singapore’s Independence Declassified, a new permanent exhibition at the National Library that opened to the public on Dec 8.
The free exhibition is based on
a collection of previously classified Cabinet papers and documents kept by then Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee
from 1964, including handwritten notes about his negotiations with federal leaders to take Singapore out of Malaysia.
When The Straits Times visited the exhibition in the morning, it was well-attended, with about 150 visitors across the four sections within the first hour. As noon approached, queues began to form outside the exhibition as visitors waited for their allotted time slot.
An NLB spokesperson said that as at 2pm, 1,500 people had registered to attend the exhibition on opening day, and nearly 16,000 tickets have been booked.
The film was a particularly popular section for the visitors, with many waiting patiently outside the screening room for their turn.
Older Singaporeans at the exhibition said the 1964 riots were something they vividly remembered, and the exhibition showed they indelibly shaped the thinking of Singapore’s founding leaders as well.
Mr Alan Soon, 74, said he remembered people being very anxious about the riots, and “the feeling then was that it was created by people from outside (of Singapore), not internally”.
“The Malays in my auntie’s kampung told her not to worry – if anything happened, they told her they would protect her,” said the retired human resources executive.
Mr Soon was rather surprised to learn how important it was to keep the negotiations a secret from the British, as they might have intervened if they had caught wind of it.
Mr Bala Subramaniam, 69, said the exhibition was interesting as it presented the full sequence of events that led up to Singapore’s independence, and reinforced for him that separation was ultimately a good outcome for the country.
