Chapter 5: High Commissioner to Malaysia and Return to Academia

PRIME MINISTER LEE Kuan Yew, Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam and Finance Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee briefed me on what was required of me as high commissioner to Malaysia. They were all worried about the effects of the Malaysian race riots on Singapore. It is no surprise that disasters of this nature in Malaysia are likely to have repercussions in Singapore. It is essential to have first-hand information quickly to take countermeasures. What we feared most after 13 May 1969 was the possibility of a great flood of panic-stricken Chinese rushing to Singapore. We had also to be on guard against racial outbreaks on the island. In fact, one such attack by the Chinese on Malays in Singapore had been swiftly dealt with. There were strong rumours that the communists would exploit the racial riots to the utmost to create chaos…