When Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, hopes were high. But a secret file kept by then-Finance Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee, code-named the “Albatross”, reveals a far more fragile union.

CNA producers Peh Yuxin and Clarisse Goh sit down with Janadas Devan, senior adviser at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information to unpack the historical reasons, political tensions, clashing economic visions, and rising racial politics that pulled the merger apart. 

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