The Cobbold Commission, was a
Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of
North Borneo
(I persevere and I achieve)
, national_anthem =
, capital = Kudat (1881–1884);Sandakan (1884–1945);Jesselton (1946)
, common_languages = English, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Murut, Sabah Malay, Chinese etc.
, gover ...
(now
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
) and
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
supported the proposal to create the Federation of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
consisting of
Malaya,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
North Borneo
(I persevere and I achieve)
, national_anthem =
, capital = Kudat (1881–1884);Sandakan (1884–1945);Jesselton (1946)
, common_languages = English, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Murut, Sabah Malay, Chinese etc.
, gover ...
, and
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
. It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the
Constitution of Malaysia
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan
Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
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
Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee (7 October 1911 – 31 August 2002) was a Malaysian politician and diplomat. He was Penang's first Chief Minister,Ng 2007 serving from 1957 to 1969 and Malaysia's first Ambassador to Rome.
Early history
He was born in ...
, Chief Minister of Penang,
*
Ghazali Shafie
Tun Muhammad Ghazali bin Shafie ( ms, محمد غزالي بن شافعي, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 22 March 1922 – 24 January 2010) was a Malaysian politician and diplomat. He served under the administrations of four Prime ...
, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*
Anthony Abell, former Governor of Sarawak
*
David Watherston
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, 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.
However , Lord Cobbold concealed his personal secret letter to Mr Macmilliam 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."
[205722212 THE MAKING OF THE FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA BY AJ STOCKWELL PG 317 ARTICLE 119]
The findings were summarised by Lord Cobbold as follows:
Table of content
:COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION
:TERM OF REFERENCE
:INTRODUCTION
::1. ENQUIRY IN SARAWAK
::2. ENQUIRY IN NORTH BORNEO
::3. ASSESSMENT OF EVIDENCE
::4. Recommendations
:::A—Recommendations on certain general matters
:::B—Recommendations by Sir Anthony Abell and Sir David Watherston
:::C—Recommendations by Dato Wong Pow Nee and Enche Mohammed Ghazali bin Shafie
:::D—Summary of Recommendations in Sections B and C, and Comments, by the Chairman
::5. OTHER MATTERS
::6. THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
:''Appendices''
:A. Itinerary
:B. Census Abstract
:C.
Cardinal Principles of the rule of the English Rajah
:D. Legal Meaning of the Term "Native"
:E. North Borneo and Sarawak Governments Papers on Malaysia
:F. "Memorandum on Malaysia" Submitted by the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee
:Map of the Borneo Territories
See also
*
18-point agreement (Sarawak)
The ''18-point agreement'', or the ''18-point memorandum'', was a hypothetical list of 18 points drawn up by Sarawak, proposing terms to form Malaysia, during negotiations prior to the creation of the new federation in 1963. Unlike the properly do ...
*
20-point agreement (Sabah)
*
Reid Commission The Reid Commission was an independent commission responsible for drafting the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya prior to Malayan independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 31 August 1957.
Constitutional ...
*
Nine Cardinal Principles of the rule of the English Rajah
The Nine Cardinal Principles of the rule of the English Rajah is the Preamble of the Sarawak Constitution 1941. The document setting forth the Sarawak Constitution 1941 opened by enunciating the Cardinal Principle edict by Charles Vyner Brooke, ...
References
External links
Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962full 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)
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