KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Musa Aman has come out to defend the state’s Section 66 Immigration laws and the decision to bar Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar from Sabah.
He said contrary to what was being spread in the social media, the ban on the PKR vice-president was not politically motivated.
“Other opposition leaders have come and moved freely throughout Sabah, especially during the run-up to the elections.
“They (Pakatan Rakyat) spread the same old recipe of lies, deceit and slander to hoodwink the people. We didn’t stop them.
“Now that the elections are over, their leader (Anwar Ibrahim) refuses to accept the verdict.
“It is a case of sour grapes and ungentlemanly conduct. He wants to rile up the masses to rally throughout the country to show his, and I repeat, his discontent,” he said.
Musa added that the government had reason to believe that Nurul Izzah’s visit was “not as innocent” as touted by the opposition.
“We have reason to believe that Nurul Izzah’s intentions to come to Sabah, this time around, may not be as innocent as she or her fellow opposition members make it out to be,” Musa said.
Nurul Izzah was barred from entering Sabah, on arrival at the Kota Kinabalu Airport on May 30. She was here to attend the Kaamaatan harvest festival celebration as a guest of Penampang newly elected PKR MP Darrel Leiking.
Penampang is a KadazandusunMurut (KDM) hub which Barisan Nasional was confident of retaining.
However in a shocking turnaround, Leiking defeated BN-Upko president and incumbent Bernard Dompok and by a over 10,000 vote majority in the May 5 election. BN also lost the two state seats –Moyog and Kepayan – within the Penampang parliamentary constituency.
Pakatan partners DAP and PKR wrested 12 state seats in total from Sabah Barisan Nasional in the recent election. The coalition also won three parliamentary seats.
Enough politicking
Musa said yesterday that Sabah and its people did not need the endless propaganda by the opposition to incite hatred and mistrust among the people against the BN government.
“Enough is enough. The elections are over. We need to move on. The opposition has been politicking for the last five years.
“Are we going to get bogged down by more politicking in the next five?
“There’s work to be done. The country needs to be administered, the economy needs to grow and the people’s welfare, taken care of,” he said.
Yesterday Sabah Umno deputy liaison chief Salleh Said Keruak said Sabah did not wish to subscribe to the political culture of divide and rule as practiced elsewhere.
“Sabah has always been a peaceful and harmonious state and we take pride in our unity in diversity.
“We cannot allow the interest of Sabah to be compromised by selfish politicians from Peninsular Malaysia pursuing politics of self-glorification, “ he said adding that he was fully supportive of the decision to bar Nurul Izzah.
He said the power to restrict persons from entering Sabah is outlined in Section 66 Immigration Act.
“In any event, legal means by way of an appeal is always available to Nurul to consider,” he said adding that the state government as not obliged to explain its actions.
Allowing entry is a Sabah government right. However, its blatant use against political opponents has raised eyebrows.
Rescind decision
An ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the state has thrown into stark contrast the efficient, on-the-spot deportation of Nurul with the almost complete lack of immigration control in regard to the former.
“Why is it that Malaysians joining a festive celebration with fellow Malaysians especially the Kadazans from Sabah and in Sabah is now a reason for denial of entry?” Leiking asked.
“I personally met, at the airport while waiting for Nurul Izzah, the many Malaysians from West Malaysia (who took the same flight who had told me that they came to Sabah to join in the Kaamatan festivity at KDCA, Penampang.”
“They were equally concerned that Nurul Izzah was detained by Sabah Immigration and this has indeed shamed us in Sabah,” Leiking said.
He added that Nurul Izzah is an elected MP and poses no threat at all to the security of the state.
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