Soo (centre) showing the paper cutting of of Chong’s published statement, flanked by Hugh Lawrence (right) and Buln.
KUCHING: Sarawak State Reform Party (Star) president Lina Soo has described Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) three priority agendas in 2020 as revealed by Sarawak PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen as “a bad New Year joke”.
She said if PH wants to fulfill their promises to Sarawak, the first thing they should have done was to get the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) recognised.
Soo said the other two of PH’s election manifesto promises to Sarawak is the 20 per cent oil royalty and 50 per cent of all the revenue from Sarawak to be given back to the state without negotiation.
“These are just some the things that they have pledged to do when they form the federal government. And after one and half years now, they make a New Year promise again, saying they are going to fulfill the promises in 2020.
“When? When is UEC going to be recognised? When are we getting the 20 per cent oil royalty and when are we getting 50 per cent of our money back from the federal government? Can Chong answer when?” she told a press conference here today.
On Chong’s statement that PH is going to resolve the issue of racial polarisation in the country, Soo alleged that DAP itself was indeed a racial party, having won votes in Chinese areas because they claimed to fight for Chinese rights.
“But now, after one and half years in the federal government, race and religion politics have gotten even worse.
How are DAP going to eradicate racial polarisation when they themselves use racial politics. This again is another unrealistic, unachieveable promise,” she said.
Soo also brushed off Chong’s statement about PH vowing to rebuild the Malaysian economy.
“Our currency is so weak against the US dollar. Our Bursa Malaysia has declined, has lost value; billions of ringgit have been wiped off. Our national debt has increased. The federal government is selling assets.
“Their policy is privatising profits and socialising risk and loses. Another thing, we are now numbered with more taxes and more duties. Who pays the duties? The consumers,” she said.
Soo said the people had voted in the government to manage the economy, to create jobs, to create business opportunities, but PH has done the opposite.
“Compared to our three aspirations for Sarawak, our goals are realistic; they are achievable and they have a timeframe. So give Star the mandate, put us in DUN, we will do these,” she said.
Earlier, Soo unveiled Star’s three aspirations for 2020 – right to self-determination to be triggered with an independence referendum by Christmas 2021; sea, assets and resources recovery, which include the state’s territorial waters, oil and gas; and land reforms which will touch at the core of every community.
Star deputy president Hugh Lawrence Zehnder and Star chairman Buln Ribos were also present.