A Chinese education movement leader recently received a telephone call after the Lunas by-election threatening to assassinate him and his family if he insisted on going to Sarawak for the Vision School road-show.

Bock Tai Hee, chief executive officer of Dong Zong, one of the two components of Dong Jiao Zong, told malaysiakini today that he had received the threatening call on Dec 7 at about 2pm from a man who introduced himself as "See".

According to Bock, the man, who sounded young, spoke in Mandarin when he called him at his office two days before he was scheduled to go on his Sarawak trip from Dec 9 to Dec 11.

Bock recalled that the man said he knew Bock was about to proceed to Sarawak for the Vision School road-show.

"He said Sarawak does not welcome Dong Jiao Zong. SUPP(Sarawak United People's Party) has rejected the Vision School, and Sarawak does not have any problems, so don't bring trouble to Sarawak," Bock said.

"'When you come to Sarawak, we cannot guarantee your safety, you may be chopped into ten thousand pieces while you are walking on the street.

"'And your family may be chopped up likewise too'," Bock recalled what the caller said.

Bock said he answered back in anger: "Sarawak Chinese Schools Committees' Association has invited us, we will be there.

"I then told him, 'It is our duty, we are open to discussions, it is not for any individual. I am never afraid in the fight of the Chinese education'," said Bock adding he then abruptly cut off the line.

Politically-linked

Bock, who had his teaching permit withdrawn and was arrested under the Internal Security Act in 1975 for two months and was restricted to Port Dickson from 1975 to 1980, said he planned to lodge a police report about the threatening phone call.

"I was not worried too much when I was in Sarawak because I believe that Malaysia is a civilised society. Political parties will not resort to assassination simply because of the diverse opinions on the education policy," Bock said when asked whether he was frightened during his trip to Sarawak.

Dong Jiao Zong is the Chinese education movement who had strongly opposed the implementation and concept of the Vision School aimed at housing all the three streams of schools together to share common facilities like a canteen and a playing field.

It was widely believed that a large section of the Chinese community rejected the BN candidate during the Lunas by-election to show their unhappiness over the Vision School project and the Suqiu episode when a Chinese election lobby group was likened to communists.

Bock believed that the threatening phone call is related to political parties.

"The political parties are unable to answer the questions posed by Dong Jiao Zong, and they are afraid that the disagreement with Dong Jiao Zong will eventually cause them to lose the support of the Chinese community," Bock said.

Pressure

Bock said that last month the Sarawak Chinese Schools Committees' Association planned to organise 13 briefing sessions on the Vision School concept in December, including a dialogue with political parties in Sarawak.

However, they had to cancel all the briefings due to "certain political pressure".

But after Dong Jiao Zong persisted, it finally managed to hold briefings in Sibu, Kuching and Miri, he said.

"Some of the political parties and Chinese organisations leaders had urged their excos not to attend the briefings of Dong Jiao Zong," he said.

Bock reported that only 50 to 60 people turned out as some people had been "advised" not to attend.

Sarawak is expected to have a state election early next year.