Before 1965, National Day was celebrated on 3 June to commemorate the day in 1959 when Singapore attained self-governance from British rule. However, the colonial administration still retained control of external relations and internal key policies. In 1963, Singapore joined Malaysia, fully relieving it of colonial rule and becoming an autonomous state within the Malaysian federation. Singapore became fully independent when it was seperated from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, which is the National Day that we celebrate today.
