As late as October 1964, separation was still unthinkable. But from November 1964 onwards, the situation slowly deteriorated. The road to separation was long and there were many opportunities to stop or turn back, but they were not taken. In this episode, PJ Thum outlines the turning points from November to June 1964 that led Malaysia to separation, and in particular puzzles over the behaviour of Lee Kuan Yew - a normally brilliant politician who inexplicably loses all semblance of political skill in May 1965.

Please send questions, comments, and feedback to thehistoryofsingapore@gmail.com or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com. Support the show at patreon.com/pjthum. For all the previous episodes in this series, search for "History of Singapore" on bfm.my.