The merger was opposed by the communists and the Barisan Sosialis.
The communists did not want merger as they knew the anti-communist Malaysian government would take stern action against them. This would put a lid on their plans to expand their influence.
The Barisan Sosialis, on the other hand, wanted merger conditions for Singapore to be the same as those for Malacca and Penang. They claimed that anything less would be a "sell out".
The Barisan Sosialis held rallies to whip up anti-merger feelings and tried to convince the people that a Malaysian citizenship was equivalent to second-class citizenship.
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