TAWAU, JUNE 3- Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman must clarify a leaked document from the Immigration Department that lists political and NGO leaders from the peninsula who are banned from entering the state.
According to the document dated May 21 from the Chief Minister’s Department to the Sabah Immigration Department, the leaders banned are Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli and S Ambiga.
Kota Kinabalu MP Jimmy Wong, who is also Sabah DAP chairman, said the decision to bar these people appears to have been made by the Sabah state cabinet during a meeting on May 15.
“The state cabinet appears to have agreed that the chief minister can use his absolute powers under the Immigration Act, with the advice from the state Special Branch chief to bar certain people,” he said in a statement.
Wong said the shock eviction of PKR vice-president and MP for Lembah Pantai Nurul was counter productive to the state.
Nurul was ordered to take the next flight back to Kuala Lumpur after arriving at Kota Kinabalu for the Harvest Festival celebration on Thursday on the invitation of Penampang MP Darell Leiking.
“This is why we think Umno Supreme Council member and MP for Kinabatangan (Bung Mokthar Radin) was right in his assessment that BN Sabah made a big mistake in ordering the entry ban last Thursday because it has actually made her a bigger hero than ever before,” Wong said.
New Sabah Immigration director Noor Alam Khan Abdul Wahid Khan said the department was merely complying with the directive from the state government.
Musa, who has come under fire for his baffling action, has denied that the move to bar the opposition politicians and Ambiga, the well-respected former Malaysian Bar Council president, was politically motivated.
“No matter how much the chief minister Musa Aman tries to explain that it is not politically motivated, the body language of abruptly packing off an opposition leader the moment she arrived communicates an instant message that it is all about politics,” he said.
“The people didn’t have to wait three days for the chief minister to explain what it is,” he added.
Is Nurul a threat to Sabahans?
Brushing off Musa’s claim that Nurul had sinister intentions for coming to Sabah, Wong said it appeared that this was an after thought by the chief minister.
“He should refrain from imputing motives and guessing people’s intentions. Only God knows the intentions of people, otherwise we would all be able to catch robbers, terrorists and murderers well before they are able to commit any crime,” he said.
On Musa’s claim that Nurul’s presence is a threat to the ideals that Sabah embraces, Wong said the real threat to those ideals is arbitrary action that goes against common decency and human rights.
“What ideals are we talking about when the state government does not respect the right of a Malaysian woman to enter Sabah when we seem to respect the flow of illegal immigrants so much better,” Wong asked in reference to the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the state and the subsequent issuance of citizenship to many of them.
“How can she be a threat when she carried no arms or weapons? Is she a threat to the Sabahans or those in power? The power under the Immigration Act should not be abused for political gains,” he said.
He auggested that Sabah embrace a political ideal to treat Malaysians well irrespective of political leanings, just like what Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said immediately after winning the election that his government would also look after those who voted for BN.
“That is reconciliation, not hardening the enmity among Malaysians and expanding the political divide.
“This latest episode reminds Sabahans of a dark era when opposition leaders were stopped at the airport, which later bounced back on those who resorted to such unpopular action,” he said.
Musa has lashed out at the opposition for not accepting the election as clean and fair.
Wong however said that voters have a right to be dissatisfied.
“The verdict is 51% of the Malaysian voters voted for the opposition for valid reasons and not because the opposition had spread the usual recipe of lies, deceit and slander during the election to hoodwink them as alleged by Musa,” he added.
Wong also questioned Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan who is also the Huguan Siou (paramount chief) of the Kadazandusun community for keeping quiet on the issue.
“Does that mean he agrees with the dictatorial action? A lot of Kadazandusun people are very upset about the state government’s rude action.
“They want to see it (Kaamatan) stay purely as a cultural event with the open house concept where everybody is welcomed to join the fun in keeping with their traditional hospitality.
“As the Huguan Siau, has he lost that leadership role and allowed Umno to take control over the Kaamatan celebrations and turned their most important cultural event into some body else’s political tool?” he asked.
