Quora Answer: Since Malaysia Expelled Singapore, Why are They Allied within the Five Power Defence Arrangements?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Given that Malaysia expelled Singapore, why are the two still allied within the Five Power Defence Arrangements?”

As its name suggests, the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, are a series of loose, multilateral military relationships involving Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.  This is not an alliance.  Singapore has no military alliance with Malaysia, or any state for that matter.  Officially, it is neutral.

The FPDA was meant to replace the old Anglo-Malayan Defence Agreement, which became obsolete after the UK decided to withdraw all forces east of Suez in 1967.  This was meant to guarantee the independence of Malaya, later Malaysia and Singapore.  This was an arrangement among regional Commonwealth nations, and the UK.  Singapore and Malaysia made that arrangement under the sponsorship of the UK, not with each other.

Since this was not a true military alliance, it did not require all member nations to be at war should one of them be attacked.  Member nations would meet in the event of aggression against any member to discuss measures to be taken individually and jointly.  There is nothing in the FPDA for a commitment of military intervention.  Although the wording was in relation to any of the “Five Powers” being attacked, in practicality, the two members most likely to be vulnerable to military action in that period were Malaysia and Singapore.  This was the height of the Cold War.  This was the time of the Konfrontasi – which had just ended, the Communist Insurgency, and the Indochinese wars, including the Vietnam War.  Singapore and Malaysia were thought to be extremely vulnerable to the Communist threat, and leftist Indonesia under Sukarno.

It was paper arrangement, a cosmetic papering over of cracks.  The only concrete examples of deterrent were the deployments of small numbers of ANZAC troops to Malaysia and Singapore, the basing of an RAAF squadron at Butterworth, and an Integrated Air Defence System covering the Peninsula.  There were British troops, and at least two Gurkha contingents, in East Malaysia still then.  There are small joint command facilities in Singapore and Malaysia, and a small British naval facility in Singapore.  It was only in 1981 that the FPDA actually had their first annual exercises.