Cobbold Commission

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 Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak. It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the Constitution of Malaysia prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.^[1] The Commission was headed by former Bank of England governor, Lord Cobbold.

Members

Members of the Commission were:

• Lord Cobbold, former Governor of the Bank of England, chairman of the Commission
• Wong Pow Nee, Chief Minister of Penang,
• Mohammed Ghazali Shafie, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Anthony Abell, former Governor of Sarawak
• David Watherston, former Chief Secretary of Malaya.

Report

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. The findings were summarised by Lord Cobbold 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.

—Lord Cobbold, Cobbold Commission

References

• Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962 (full report)
• UN General Assembly 15th Session - The Trusteeship System and Non-Self-Governing Territories (pages:509-510)
• UN General Assembly 18th Session - the Question of Malaysia (pages:41-44)

1. ^ "No.10760: Agreement relating to Malaysia" (pdf). United Nations Treaty Collection. United Nations. July 1963. http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/21/36/00041791.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-29. 

See also

• 20-point agreement (Sabah)
• Reid Commission