KUCHING, June 14: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan has no plan to `win’ in the upcoming ‘Sarawak What’s Next’ debate.
Instead, he said his participation in the Democratic Action Party (DAP)-Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP)-PBK debate was to raise several points for public awareness.
Organised by Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS), the event is scheduled for June 22, from 1.30pm to 5pm, at the Grand Continental Hotel here.
Among the participants are Abdul Aziz Isa Marindo (DAP) and Michael Tiang (SUPP), while Francis Paul Siah (MoCS) will be the moderator.
“I know they are good debaters, and they will give me a hard time. But I am not looking for a win in a debate like this. I wish to participate in this debate because I have a few points to raise for public awareness.
“What I want to raise is that based on the Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice delivered on Feb 25 this year in the Chagos Islands case, where the Malaysia Agreement 1963 entered into between the signatories could be a null and void treaty,” Voon said in a statement, today.
The treaty, according to legal opinions, could be void because Sarawak, being a colony at the material time, lacked the capacity to enter into an agreement of such nature with Great Britain and Malaya.
Voon opined that Sarawak, being a colony of Britain, was not a sovereign country and, thus, was not in equal capacity with Great Britain and Malaya to enter any agreement or treaty with Great Britain and Malaya.
Great Britain was the parent country of Sarawak at that time.
Another point that Voon wants to raise is that the Sarawak government should take the opportunity to address the economic and political differences between Sarawak and the Federation of Malaya as a ground allowed by international law to seek independence or exit from the Federation of Malaysia.
He added that perhaps Sarawak should learn from Singapore, which exited from the Federation of Malaysia.
“Should Sarawak continue to be in the Federation of Malaysia or seek an exit under International law or independence under the decolonisation process?” he asked. — DayakDaily
