So stated Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 9 August 1965, in a televised response to queries from journalists about the regional implications of Singapore's ejection from Malaysia two years after full independence from the British. In a now iconic scene from the history of the Southeast Asian city-state, Lee went on to describe the separation as "a moment of anguish" (ibid.: 21), before sensationally illustrating the sentiment by breaking down in tears: "Recording was stopped," states the official transcript delicately, "for the Prime Minister to regain his composure" (ibid.: 22).