 Exacerbated by the opposing political affinities and ideologies, conflicts frequently arose between the state government and the city council over differences in policies and budget allocations.As previously guaranteed by the British authorities, George Town's free port status was untouched in the years immediately after the Malayan independence.The earlier fears by the secessionists eventually came true, however, when in 1969, the free port status was suddenly revoked by the Malaysian federal government.