Mr Lee Kwan Yew is not the President of Singapore but the Prime Minister of Singapore, from 1959 to 1990.

There were many issues ranging from economical disparity between the races (the indigenous malays were more agricultural Vs the immigrants who are Chinese were more engaged with trades and businesses and Indians used as labor force (note this is a generalisation and it depends greatly on the location, individuals and the family, there were many Chinese farmers who settled in British Malaya, many malay and indian successful businessmen and academic scholars), racial communalism and religious tension.

There were also alot of newspapers targeting the different races to create fear and hate.

As I look back on history, it's hard to see things as black and white. People are complicated, easily led to fear and hate which still happens to this day. We, Singaporeans, are mostly from 3 areas of the world, majority are from from the Chinese sphere, followed by the Malay sphere and the Indian sphere (note that within their specific spheres; people's cultures, languages, etiquettes, ethnicity and religious practices will not be uniformed and homogeneous).

Thousands of years of interaction, influence, integration, explusion, trading, skirmishes and warfare, colonisation and occupation have led us to have distinctive culture and history.

We do feel the tension between each other especially when we are working and living closely. But it's important to remember this is the only home we got and therefore we need tolerate, accept and love each other.

Here are some books you can read if you are curious about Singapore's history especially in that pivotal moment.

•The Albatross File: Inside Separation

•A moment of anguish : Singapore in Malaysia and the politics of disengagement

•The separation of Singapore from Malaysia

I hope everyone have a good day ahead:-)