Episode 40: The Mercy of the Tunku

Dr. Thum Ping Tjin, University of Oxford

05-Aug-16 15:00

Pause
Embed

As the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman led a stable right-wing coalition. As leader of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), he wanted to ensure its continued electoral dominance. So why would the Tunku agree to reunification with Singapore, a passionately left-wing and overwhelmingly Chinese country which would inevitably disrupt the Federation’s stable political compromise? In this episode, PJ Thum follows merger from the Tunku’s perspective, from 1955 to 1961, and explains why the Tunku would rescue Lee Kuan Yew, a man he had no particular affection for, from political defeat.

Please send questions, comments, and feedback to thehistoryofsingapore@gmail.com or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com. Support the show at patreon.com/pjthum. For all the previous episodes in this series, search for "History of Singapore" on bfm.my.

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:

Tags: live and learn, History of Singapore, hosbypjthum, tunku, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Merdeka, Merger, lee kuan yew, Federation, Malaya, UMNO

Today’s Shows

11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) Alexandre Salesse, Partner at BCG, explains how the "Single Buyer" model and "Take or Pay" contracts have created a reliability gold standard at the cost of future flexibility.

12:00 PM

Just For Kicks

(REPEAT) The pundits look ahead to match week 27 of the EPL, featuring the big match between the wounded Arsenal against their neighbours in turmoil, Tottenham Hotspur.

1:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

(REPEAT) Does good always triumph over evil? Kam, Sheryll and Dhanya will unpack that, as well as talk about AI caricatures and whether it's cool to show off your partner on social media.

2:00 PM

Ringgit & Sense

(REPEAT) Dr. Mohaini Ahmad Basri, licensed financial planner with Wealth Vantage Advisory talks about EPF dividends, and who gets the most benefit from them.

2:30 PM

The Property Show

(REPEAT) Dr. YM Cheng, Founder and Principal Consultant of ChineseZodiacFengshui.com, discusses Fengshui outlook for Commercial and Residential properties for the upcoming Year of the Horse.

3:00 PM

Best of The Bigger Picture

(REPEAT) With TB cases on the rise and clusters reported across the country, we speak to a respiratory physician to break down what you need to know about the disease and precautions to take.

4:00 PM

Best of Evening Edition

(REPEAT) We speak to Balan, founder of a lion dance troupe and seasoned performer, about his journey to becoming part of this art form and what led to his passion for it.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

This episode of The Life Scientific features Caroline Smith, Head of Collections and Principal Curator of Meteorites at the Natural History Museum, home to one of the finest meteorite collections in the world.

PROGRAMMES