S'pore to declassify documents on separation with Malaysia

SHAH ALAM - Singapore has agreed to declassify and release documents of top-level discussions among the leaders of Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore's Minister of State for Communications and Information Dr Janil Puthucheary said the documents kept in the 'Albatross file' will be released in a book on the Separation Agreement.

The file belonged to Dr Goh Keng Swee who is considered one of Singapore's founding fathers.

The process of declassification began "some time ago" and took some time due to its complexity of the material, he was quoted inToday Online.

"A subset of the material was part of a public exhibition and a larger set of declassified documents will be released in a book on separation to be published later this year," he was quoted saying.

This will include Cabinet papers and notes together with Goh's conversations with Malaysian leaders.

Before Singapore's separation from Malaysia, Goh was a finance minister who held various government ministries before becoming deputy prime minister in 1973.

The 'Albatross file' will offer insights into the negotiations between Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysian's Tunku Abdul Rahman, leading up to the separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Back in 1980, Goh revealed that albatross (white seabird) referred to Malaysia.

According to reports, he said there was high hopes that Malaysia would bring prosperity, a common market, peace, and unity.

He was quoted as stating, "And it became an albatross round our necks."