9 August 1965 was the beginning of Singapore’s journey as an independent nation.
Singapore’s independence marked a transformation of the character of the Causeway. Previously, the Causeway had mainly served to connect. Following independence, the Causeway is both a connector between the two countries, and a border separating Singapore and Malaysia. Both countries established immigration controls on their respective sides of the Causeway. This led to the birth of the Woodlands immigration checkpoint in June 1967. Following the opening of the checkpoint, Malaysian citizens travelling to Singapore from June 1967 were required to carry passports and have them stamped on their entry and exit, while the same rule applied to Singaporeans visiting Malaysia from September 1967.2
Click here to explore another aspect of the Causeway's developments over the years, or here to return to the main Causeway Centenary page.
Audiovisual Recordings
Prime Minister Meets the Press
Date: 09/08/1965
Source: Mediacorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
Watch the press conference given by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 9 August 1965, where he spoke about the separation of Singapore from Malaysia.
Malay Broadcast of The Proclamation of Singapore
Date: 09/08/1965
Source: Mediacorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
Catch the broadcast by Radio Singapura about Singapore becoming an independent and sovereign nation after its separation from Malaysia. The radio announcer read the Malay translations of then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's Proclamation of Singapore declaring independence, and Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's Proclamation of Singapore recognising the separation.
Time Nor Tide: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew - Building A Nation
Date: 23/03/2015
Source: Mediacorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
This broadcast following former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s passing in 2015 featured a speech that he delivered in 1965 at the Sree Narayana Mission in Sembawang, shortly after Singapore’s separation from Malaysia. He shared that Singapore then had the opportunity to build a “model multiracial society”. He outlined three tenets that were to become the foundation of modern Singapore – hard work, equality and racial harmony – and explained how these would guide Singapore towards its transformation from a ”mudflat” to a “metropolis”.
Photographs
Media - Image No: PCD0268 - 0032
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: The General Post Office was packed with people when it began to issue special Causeway passports to Singapore citizens for travel to Malaysia.
Covering Date: 22 May 1967
Media - Image No: PCD0394 - 0010
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: The passengers in the first car entering Singapore from Malaysia on 1 July 1967 received friendly greetings and had their documents stamped in less than two minutes.
Covering Date: 30 June 1967
Media - Image No: PCD0394 - 0014
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: A Singapore immigration officer checking the travel documents.
Covering Date: 1 July 1967
Media - Image No: PCD0394 - 0018
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: A Singapore immigration officer checking the travel documents.
Covering Date: 1 July 1967
Media - Image No: PCD0394 - 0015
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: A Singapore immigration officer checking the travel documents.
Covering Date: 1 July 1967
Media - Image No: PCD0394 - 0023
Source: Singapore Press Holdings
Description: A Malaysian immigration officer checking the travel documents of a newlywed couple from Singapore on their way to Malaysia for their honeymoon.
Covering Date: 1 July 1967