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===Head of federation=== |
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Cobbold Commission did not recommend whether the heads of state of Sabah and Sarawak are eligible to be elected as the heads of the Federation.<ref name="Chapter 4">{{Cite wikisource |
Cobbold Commission did not recommend whether the heads of state of Sabah and Sarawak are eligible to be elected as the heads of the Federation.<ref name="Chapter 4">{{Cite wikisource |
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| title = Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962/CHAPTER 4 |
| title = Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962/CHAPTER 4/general matters |
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| year = 1962 |
| year = 1962 |
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| Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962 | |
|---|---|
| Created | 17 January 1962 |
| Ratified | 21 June 1962 |
| Location | The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, United Kingdom |
| Author(s) | The Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1961-1962 |
| Signatories |  Lord Cobbold Wong Pow Nee Ghazali Shafie Anthony Abell David Watherston |
| Purpose | The formation of Malaysia, 1961–1963 |
| Full text | |
 Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962atWikisource | |
The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak supported the proposal to create the Federation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Brunei, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak.[1][2] It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the Constitution of Malaysia prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.[3] The Commission was headed by former Bank of England governor, Lord Cobbold.
Members of the Commission were:
The Commission released its findings, report and recommendations on 1 August 1962. It concluded that the formation of Malaysia should be implemented. However, Lord Cobbold also stressed that all parties enter the federation as equal partners. Lord Cobbold had privately written to British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan on 21 June 1962: "I have supported Malaysia in the report on the assumption that Singapore also joins in ... if Singapore were to drop out, a federation between Malaya and the Borneo territories without Singapore would have few attractions.[4]
Lord Cobbold summarised the Commission's findings as follows:
About one-third of the population of each territory strongly favours early realisation of Malaysia without too much concern about terms and conditions. Another third, many of them favourable to the Malaysia project, ask, with varying degrees of emphasis, for conditions and safeguards varying in nature and extent: the warmth of support among this category would be markedly influenced by a firm expression of opinion by Governments that the detailed arrangements eventually agreed upon are in the best interests of the territories. The remaining third is divided between those who insist on independence before Malaysia is considered and those who would strongly prefer to see British rule continue for some years to come. If the conditions and reservations which they have put forward could be substantially met, the second category referred to above would generally support the proposals. Moreover once a firm decision was taken quite a number of the third category would be likely to abandon their opposition and decide to make the best of a doubtful job. There will remain a hard core, vocal and politically active, which will oppose Malaysia on any terms unless it is preceded by independence and self-government: this hard core might amount to near 20 per cent of the population of Sarawak and somewhat less in North Borneo.
— Chapter 3 item 144 in the Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962, page 55-56[5]
Other recommendations of the Cobbold Commission Report include:
Cobbold Commission did not recommend whether the heads of state of Sabah and Sarawak are eligible to be elected as the heads of the Federation.[6]
The name of the Federation is "Malaysia".[6]
Cobbold Commission agreed that Islam should be the religion of the federation but would not jeopardise the freedom of other religions in the country, "which in effect would be secular".[6]
Cobbold Commission agreed on the unrestricted use of Malay, English and other indigenous languages in the respective Borneo state assemblies for 10 years after the formation of Malaysia, until the federal government, with the consultation of the respective Borneo state governments, that only the national language (Malay) can be used.[6]
Cobbold Commission recommended that entry of people outside of the country should rest with the federal government, while the Borneo states control the entry of people from other states in Malaysia. People employed by the state government should have unrestricted entry to Peninsular Malaysia, guaranteed by the federal government. Meanwhile, there should be unrestricted entry of people employed by the federal government into Borneo states, guaranteed by the state government. There should be unrestricted entry of people from Borneo states into Peninsular Malaysia. Visitor's permit of 3 months is allowed for those from Peninsular Malaysia to enter the Borneo states.[6]
Cobbold Commission did not recommend a clause on secession in the federal constitution because it may cause political and racial divisions in the country.[6]
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