Lessons from Albatross File for my son

The decisions which led to Singapore's independence took courage in the face of uncertainty

- Michael Han

My son and I visited The Albatross File Exhibition in January.

He first told me about it when a group of his classmates from Singapore Management University (SMU) went. Newly declassified documents - Cabinet papers and handwritten notes compiled by then Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee from 1964 and known as the Albatross File - are the subject of the permanent exhibition on the 10th floor of the National Library Building.

I suggested we go together after he told me it was an eyeopening experience. He learnt about how Singapore finally broke free from the yoke of merger with Malaysia in 1965.

At that time, our nation confronted two daunting challenges.

The first was how to get out of the mess we had unwittingly entered into with the merger. And the second was about what the post-independence future held, since we had no natural resources.

We have come a long way to overcoming them. And in August 2026, Singapore will celebrate its 61st anniversary as a nation.