MALAYSIA THE QUADS QUINTUPLETS WERE EXPECTED, QUADRUPLETS APPEARED . THAT WAS THE 
STORY IN LONDON LAST WEEK WHEN GOVERNMENT AND COLONIAL LEADERS SIGNED 
THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF A NEW BRITISH COMMONWEALTH NATION . IT 
WAS THE FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA, WHICH WAS TO BE COMPOSED OF 
INDEPENDENT MALAYA, SELF-GOVERNING SINGAPORE, AND THE THREE BRITISH TERRITORIES OF SARAWAK, 
BRUNEI AND NORTH BORNEO . BUT AT THE LAST MOMENT, THE 
OIL-SODDEN SULTANATE OF BRUNEI PULLED OUT OF THE AGREEMENT IN A 
FIT OF PIQUE OVER THE FINAL TERMS OF FEDERATION . MACY'S 
V . GIMBELS . BRUNEI'S SUDDEN DEFECTION CAME AFTER WEEKS OF 
CLIFFHANGING NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN MALAYA'S SHREWD PRIME MINISTER TUNKU (PRINCE) ABDUL RAHMAN, 
FATHER OF THE FEDERATION SCHEME, AND SINGAPORE'S BRILLIANT, MERCURIAL PRIME MINISTER 
LEE KUAN YEW . THOUGH THE TUNKU HAD DEMANDED THAT SINGAPORE 
KICK IN 55 PER CENT OF ITS REVENUES TO THE FEDERAL 
TREASURY, LEE MANAGED TO WHITTLE THE FIGURE DOWN TO 40 PER 
CENT . BUT OVERPLAYING HIS HAND, HE THEN HELD OUT FOR 
39 PER CENT . SO INFURIATED WAS THE TUNKU AT THIS 
MACY'S V . GIMBELS TACTIC THAT HE DELIVERED AN ULTIMATUM TO 
SINGAPORE TO GET IN THE FEDERATION OR STAY OUT AND REFUSED 
TO GO TO LONDON FOR THE FINAL BARGAINING SESSIONS . IN 
LONDON LEE DEMANDED THAT THE BRITISH COMPENSATE SINGAPORE FOR CONTINUED USE 
OF THE ISLAND'S NAVAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES . BRITAIN CAME THROUGH 
WITH AN OFFSHORE ISLAND AND AN OFFICERS' CLUB GOLF COURSE, WHICH 
LEE PROMISED TO TURN INTO A BOTANICAL GARDEN . BUT WHEN 
THE NEGOTIATIONS TURNED TO SUCH BASIC MATTERS AS SINGAPORE'S CONTINUED STATUS 
AS A FREE PORT AND ITS FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNDERDEVELOPED 
BORNEO TERRITORIES, THE DISCUSSIONS BOGGED DOWN . AS THE IMPASSE CONTINUED, 
COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY DUNCAN SANDYS TOOK OVER AS ARBITRATOR . SANDYS' " 
ABSOLUTE DEDICATION AND ZEAL, " SAID LEE, " EQUALED THAT OF 
ANY DEDICATED COMMUNIST I'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO MEET . 
" GOADING, GUIDING, PERSUADING, CAJOLING, SANDYS KEPT THE NEGOTIATORS UP TO 
THE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING FOR FOUR CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS . 
" ON EVERY OCCASION, WE PASSED THE TIME WHEN CINDERELLA CRUMBLED, 
" SAID LEE . " ON TWO OCCASIONS, WE GREETED THE 
DAWN . " SULKING SULTAN . WHEN A BREAKTHROUGH SEEMED NEAR, 
ABDUL RAHMAN FLEW TO LONDON, SAT IN HIS HOTEL SUITE WAITING 
FOR THE SIGNING CEREMONY . WHEN A LAST OBSTACLE APPEARED, SANDYS 
PERSUADED LEE TO IRON IT OUT PRIVATELY WITH THE TUNKU . 
THE FINAL AGREEMENT COMPROMISED ON FINANCIAL ISSUES . SINGAPORE WILL LOAN 
MONEY TO THE BORNEO TERRITORIES RATHER THAN GIVE IT OUTRIGHT, AND 
A FEDERATION COMMON MARKET WILL GRADUALLY REPLACE SINGAPORE'S FREE-PORT STATUS . 
BRUNEI'S WITHDRAWAL ONLY SLIGHTLY JEOPARDIZES THIS ARRANGEMENT . BRUNEI'S RICH, REACTIONARY 
SULTAN IS MAINLY SULKING OVER ABDUL RAHMAN'S APATHY TOWARD HIS AMBITION 
TO PLAY A BIG CEREMONIAL ROLE IN THE NEW MALAYSIA . 
BUT BOTH THE SULTAN AND THE TUNKU PRIVATELY ADMIT THEIR READINESS 
TO RENEW NEGOTIATIONS . OPTIMISTICALLY, THE TUNKU ANNOUNCED : " THIS 
FAMILY HAS BEEN NICELY SETTLED . THERE IS GOING TO BE 
A HAPPY MALAYSIA . / 