The real purpose of Sarawak and Sabah’s immigration controls
Dr Wong Chin Huat, tells The Nut Graph the original purpose behind giving Sabah and Sarawak autonomy over their immigration controls, how this power is being abused, and whether it’s feasible to maintain such laws.
RECENTLY, just before the Balingian by-election, four Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) national leaders were denied entry into Sarawak. In the past, other opposition politicians and civil society activists have also been denied entry into the state in the run-up to elections. Dr Wong Chin Huat, who is among those banned from entering Sarawak, tells The Nut Graph the original purpose behind giving Sabah and Sarawak autonomy over their immigration controls, how this power is being abused, and whether it’s feasible to maintain such laws.
TNG: What is the original intention of the Malaysia Agreements to give Sarawak and Sabah autonomy over their immigration and to determine who can or cannot enter these states?
This power for Sabah and Sarawak is provided for under Section 66 of the Immigration Act. The onus is on a person to prove his or her right to enter the states. If you do not belong to either state, or are not a member of the federal or state government, a judge of the superior courts, or a federal or state civil servant, then your right to entry depends on whether you are given a pass by the state government.
Technically, a person who is deported is a person who is denied the entry pass. However, Sections 67 and 68 respectively give an explicit provision for one’s right to entry as an “exercise of political right” and “for purposes of federal government”.
The denial of entry for politicians and political activists – including I, who has been banned from entering Sarawak since April 2011 – is outright illegal and an abuse of power.
Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/uncommon-sense-with-wong-chin-huat-the-real-purpose-of-sarawak-and-sabahs-immigration-controls/
