Soo to See: Why equate call for referendum to act of terrorism?
KUCHING: State Reform Party (STAR) president Lina Soo yesterday expressed shock over Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How’s remarks equating her call for an independence referendum to an act of terrorism.
“How is calling for a referendum process on a constitutional and legitimate platform ‘lawless, hostile and violent’?
“Such powerful words allude to terrorism, and for an ADUN (assemblyman) to make such an allegory is most unbecoming and irresponsible of an elected assemblyman,” she said in a statement.
Soo was responding to a report in The Borneo Post yesterday quoting See as saying that any political party or individual will not gain the support of Sarawakian voters by agitating lawlessness, hostilities and violent confrontation in disregards for the political and social order, peace and harmony.
See’s remarks were in response to an earlier call by Soo, for him to once again table a motion on referendum in the next sitting of State Legislative Assembly scheduled in May.
According to Soo again, it was ‘reckless and mischievous’of See to mention that she was advocating lawlessness, hostilities confrontation.
“This is a very serious charge by a politician to tarnish a person’s character, political party and a people’s popular movement calling for the right to vote,” she added.
Soo pointed out that it was also very dangerous of See to ‘invariably connect violence and bloodshed to independence referendums’.
She explained that if See had done his homework, he would have found that 44 out of 50 independence movements were preceded by referendums and that out of the 44 referendums, war only broke out in six cases.
“In other words, the split or independence was achieved peacefully in 38 out of 50 cases, attaining an achievement rate of 86 per cent.
“In fact, the ballot replaced the bullet,” she said.
Soo also questioned if See was serving the needs and aspiration of Sarawakians, or the interests of his political masters.
She nonetheless agreed with See’s statement that all political parties and leaders in Sarawak should project and uphold a decent level of political dignity and nobility to serve the greater interests of Sarawak and win the confidence and support of Sarawakians. and violent