I came to believe that it was the Malay Ultras who caused the split between Malaysia and Singapore in 1965. After talking to an elder and reading up some materials, it appears that it was more sinister than simplistic view of Malay ultras being the sole cause.
In 1965, UMNO did not have money. They have not instituted money politics yet. Things like GLCs and privatisation has not happened. Without money, how did they do their politics?
The money came from the Chinese tycoons through MCA. MCA controlled the purse. They had huge say in national politics. And the political situation was the same like today, whereby the Chinese masses swamped to PAP rallies rather than MCA.
If PAP remained in Malaysia, MCA would have been obliterated. This was not favoured very well by the rich Chinese tycoons and their association MCA. So they were also instrumental in driving PAP out of the country.
This is what LKY had to say about then MCA President from the very rich Tan Cheng Lock family: "I was angry and bitter at (Siew Sin's) short-sightedness and stupidity. He had thwarted our industrialisation and brought about the Separation almost as much as had the Malay Ultras."
So don't you dare to single out Malays for this debacle. It is all the conspiracy of the Rich!
In LKY's tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 1965, Lee made an impassioned plea for assistance to make Malaysia an equal and open society.
He said he was not opposed to the special privileges of the Malays as was alleged by his opponents, but that there was a better way to solve the problem of poverty. His solution was education, an educated man would be in a better position to achieve his aspirations.
The speeches he made went down well overseas, especially among Malaysian students, so much so that Radio and TV Malaysia was instructed to give only minimal coverage to Lee. Source for the last 4 tweets: dailyexpress.com.my/read/3331/anot…
The main spokesman then among the Malay Ultra was Syed Jaafar Albar, a relatively recent immigrant from Indonesia after World War II. He proclaimed: "To say that the Malays are in the same category as the other races is an insult to the Malays." (It reminds us of Jaaba the Hut.)
The other famous Malay Ultra, Dr Mahathir: "Chinese in Singapore who supported Lee are selfish and arrogant, living in a purely Chinese environment where Malays could only exist as chauffeurs."
"The Chinese lived in palaces, went about in huge cars n had the best things in life, while the so-called privileged lived in huts. They have never known Malay rule and cannot bear the idea that the ppl they hv so long kept under their heels should now be in the position to rule"
LKY in 1965 explained why it was better to decide now and not wait till 5/10 years' time whether there is going to be a Msian Msia. He stressed that if Malays were daily exhorted to unite on the basis of race and not nation, in 5 years' time it would be very difficult to change
the thinking on the ground. Mr. Lee noted that the UMNO Secretary-General, Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar (who immigrated to Singapore at his age of 14 from Celebes (now Sulawesi), had said in Parliament that there was no harm in calling on the Chinese to unite.
LKY described Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar as "a man who does not spend his time calculating the significance of what he is doing. Dato Syed Ja'afar Albar knew that the Chinese would never unite under the MCA."
"But if the Chinese who comprised 42 per cent of the population in Malaysia unite under a virile party, there would be real trouble for the country." nas.gov.sg/archivesonline…
The Ship on Malaysia - Singapore Unity has sailed. They have gone far ahead. What we can do now is not to repeat historic blunders that keep us divided along racial line and forge an united nation forward.
Somebody asked for source. It's from LKY's memoirs, The Singapore Story. 
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