If you are wondering if the government runs a blacklist to keep opposition leaders out of Sarawak, the answer is negative, according to Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He opined that even though the state had the jurisdiction to ban any person believed to be a threat from setting foot on its land, such power would not be abused.
“Not to my knowledge,” he told the press here yesterday when asked whether any opposition leader from Peninsular Malaysia had been barred from entering the state.
Wan Junaidi, however, pointed out the state had every right to safeguard its people and land against any threat.
He said politicians from Peninsular Malaysia, of all people, would better understand even if the state had ordered a ban on their entry.
Wan Junaidi is lying In his statement that there is no ban on opposition politicians from west Malaysia.
I can mention many cases of politicians and activists from West Malaysia that have been banned from entering sarawak such as Ong Bak Kiong, BERSIH Chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan, PKR MP Sivarasa and Gobala Krishnan plus many others over the years. Even foreign journalists like Clare Brown from the UK are banned.
This behaviour by the CM of Sarawak is abuse of power, even Yb See Chee How of PKR could not get a passport for 17 years. Ex MP Harrison Ngau has been stopped many times at the airport to and from Kuala Lumpur.
This underhand dirty tactic by Taib Mahmud through his control of the immigration dept is not internationally accepted behaviour as no one from the government’s side are treated this way.
The International image of the CM of Sarawak as a dirty politician is well known. The Malaysian Government must ensure that the Chief Minister of Sarawak does not cause international embarrasment and must abide by world accepted standards of behaviour. – MP TEO YU KENG