KUCHING: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo has brushed aside fellow opposition party leader Voon Lee Shan’s claims on how Sarawak could attain independence.
And she has dared Voon, who is Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s (PBK) president, to a public debate on the subject to put the matter to rest.
Soo threw the challenge after a recent posting by Voon in the Sarawak Talk chat group in which he had claimed that a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) is legally recognised under international law.
But she poured cold water on such claims pointing out that UDI is not an international law and is not recognised by the United Nations (UN).
“UDI, in which a region declares its independence unilaterally, is not a legal right under international law and is, at best, a legally neutral act.
“Taiwan would have declared independence through UDI in its parliament and joined the UN if it were valid under international law, but it has not done so.
“If the United Kingdom and the UN had recognised the legitimacy of UDI under international law, Hong Kong would have declared UDI in 1997 before handing over to China and becoming a new nation.
“On what basis, then, could the UN and the international community recognise Sarawak’s independence through UDI?” Soo asked.
Therefore, the Aspirasi president said the call for a public debate on the question of Sarawak independence was timely because she had also received a flood of calls and inquiries after the 12th state election.
