In his speech, as transcribed in the book Lee Kuan Yew: Blazing the Freedom Trail by Anthony Oei, he said: “We have decided this day to go into it in unity, willingly and freely with our brothers in Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak and we shall help bear our share of the burden that independence brings to us.
“In return, all we ask for is an honourable relationship between the states and the central government, a relationship between brothers, not a relationship between masters and servants.”
Completed in 1929 and initially known as the Municipal Building, City Hall got its name when Singapore was granted city status in 1951.
Today, City Hall forms part of National Gallery Singapore, together with the former Supreme Court.