Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965

The Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 was a pivotal agreement concluded between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore on 7 August 1965. It provided the legal and constitutional framework for Singapore's formal secession from Malaysia, wherein it ceased to be a constituent state and assumed the status of an independent and sovereign nation. The terms of the agreement encompassed a Proclamation to be issued by Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, while a separate Proclamation of Singapore was delivered by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It also included a draft for the Constitution and Malaysia (Singapore Amendment) Act 1965, a constitutional amendment to be passed by the Parliament of Malaysia to separate Singapore from Malaysia.

Pursuant to this accord, Singapore was irrevocably and unambiguously separated from Malaysia with effect from 9 August 1965, thereby rendering the Malaysia Agreement inapplicable in so far as it pertained to Singapore. Subsequently, Singapore acceded to membership in the United Nations on 20 September 1965, following a unanimous resolution of the General Assembly. The Singapore Act 1966, enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom a year later, gave statutory recognition to the agreement and admitted Singapore into the Commonwealth of Nations with retrospective effect from the date of independence.