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Background: THE PROPOSAL FOR A CONFEDERATION OF MALAYA, SINGAPORE AND THE BORNEO TERRITORIES REACHED GREATER MOMENTUM WHEN LEADERS FROM BORNEO AND SARAWAK DISCUSSED THE IDEA WITH MALAYAN PRIME MINISTER TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN IN KUALA LUMPUR ON AUGUST 14.

THE PROPOSAL WAS MADE BY TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN EARLIER THIS YEAR WHEN HE ADVOCATED CLOSER ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL TIES BETWEEN INDEPENDENT MALAYA, SELF-GOVERNING SINGAPORE AND THE BORNEO TERRITORIES - TWO OF THEM BRITISH COLONIES AND ONE A SULTANATE.

THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI HAS WELCOMED THE PROPOSAL, SO HAS SINGAPORE.

BUT POLITICAL LEADERS IN THE BRITISH COLONIES OF SARAWAK AND NORTH BORNEO EXPRESSED DOUBTS AND RESERVATIONS AND SO THE MALAYAN PRIME MINISTER INVITED THEM FOR TALKS IN KUALA LUMPUR.

THE DELEGATES FROM SARAWAK LED BY DATO BANDAR ABANG HAJI MUSTAPHA, CHAIRMAN OF THE SARAWAK PARTY NEGARA AND THE BORNEO DELEGATION LED BY MR. DONALD STEVENS, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED NATIONAL KADAZAN ORGANISATION, CALLED ON TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN AND HAD TALKS WITH HIM.

THEY LATER SAID THE TALKS HAD HELPED REMOVE SOME OF THEIR SUSPICIONS.

THEY ANNOUNCED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE TO CONTINUE THE TALKS ON THE MALAYSIAN CONFEDERATION.

THE DELEGATES LATER VISITED THE POLICE TRAINING DEPOT IN KUALA LUMPUR AND SAW CADETS UNDER TRAINING.