On 9 July 1963, the agreement for the establishment of Malaysia was signed by the United Kingdom, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. The agreement envisaged that all legislative and related activities leading to the formal constitution of Malaysia would be completed by the end of July or early August, and Malaysia Day could be declared on 31 August 1963. As things turned out, Malaysia's birthday was delayed and the new state came into existence on 16 September 1963, after a last gasp bid by the Indonesians to abort its birth. Both Indonesia and the Philippines had opposed the concept of Malaysia from the outset, and when it appeared that the British and Malayans were pushing ahead with the formation of “Greater Malaysia” despite the unresolved Philippines’ claim to North Borneo, the Brunei Revolt and the Indonesian declaration of Konfrontasi (Confrontation), the United Nations was summoned in a last ditch attempt to stop Malaysia. The Tunku had earlier attempted to mollify his unhappy neighbours by suggesting, in a summit in Manila early August 1963, the formation of a super-federation known as “Mal-phil-indo”, incorporating Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. The latter two were not entirely assuaged, and demanded that the United Nations’ Secretary-General, U Thant, send a team to Sarawak and North Borneo to ascertain whether it was the wishes of the people there to join Malaysia. This last minute intervention by the United Nations meant that the date originally proposed for the establishment of Malaysia — 31 August 1963 — would have to be postponed. The fact-finding mission merely delayed the inevitable. A few days after the Manila Agreement, the legislative council in North Borneo voted unanimously that the colony would declare independence under the new name of Sabah, irrespective of the findings of the UN mission. A similar statement was issued by Sarawak, declaring that “Malaysia shall be born on 31 August, no matter what happens”. Singapore too decided to declare its independence unilaterally on 31 August 1963, in accordance with the Malaysia schedule agreed a year earlier. In any case, the UN Mission subsequently confirmed that the overwhelming majority of people in both Sarawak and Sabah were prepared to join the Federation of Malaysia.