Faced with the possibility of losing power and a PAP electoral defat at the next election, Lee Kuan Yew insisted that “in the coming months it was necessary that the British, the Federation Government and the Singapore Government should adhere firmly to the belief in a non-communist Malaya.
In order to get the support of the British for the arrests, Lee Kuan Yew kept harping on the dangers of Singapore becoming a communist state. He called it “the domino effect” that would not only affect Singapore but also the Federation.
To enlist the support of the Federation leaders he resorted to the dangers of communal conflict. At the 20th meeting of the ISC on 16th June 1961 Lee Kuan Yew said:
“They (the ex-detainees) aimed to make Singapore a Chinese base from which to liberate the whole of Malaya. They were out to encourage Chinese chauvinism by playing on Chinese fears of Malay domination in the event of merger. They drew inspiration from what had happened in Cuba particularly in their attitude to the British bases and to economic questions. They thought there was no need to take action
against the bases for the time being because they could easily be rendered useless in time of war. They disregarded the economic arguments in favour of because they thought that just as Cuba was
receiving massive Chinese aid, so Singapore could get aid from and a trade agreement from China”