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Misleading the people in the guise of ‘protecting our house’

I would like to reply to the SUPP Youth League Branch regarding the issue of immigration autonomy and how Sarawak BN is abusing it to ban opposition politicians and activists.

I am puzzled at how SUPP is continuously avoiding the issue and totally ignoring the provisions of law inserted in Immigration Act 1957/63. Their avoidance of the clear provisions of law as well as the real intention of our autonomous powers, is clearly an attempt to mislead the people in the guise of “protecting our house”.

DAP has continuously affirmed its stand that we respect and honour the rights bestowed on our state as well as the autonomous powers that were given to us, including our immigration autonomy.

Under Section 66 of the Immigration Act 1959/63, there are provisions to deny entry to the citizens based on certain criteria. And Section 67 of the Immigration Act 1963 allows citizens to enter East Malaysia to exercise their “legitimate political rights” without being subject to Subsection 66.

SUPP seems to have selective blindness or are purposefully ignorant to these provisions.

Once you are given power through a law, and there are certain conditions to your powers, even when you break those conditions, you are clearly breaching and abusing the powers that was conferred to you.

I would like to remind them again the intention of such an amendment. It was for ‘economic safeguard’ to prevent Malayans and Singaporeans from taking away jobs in the Borneo states, not to block opposition politicians or anyone whose entry is “for the sole purpose of engaging in legitimate political activity” (Section 67)

Opposition leaders come into Sarawak not to snatch away the rice bowl of Sarawakians, but they are here to fight for a system that promotes a fairer distribution of wealth to all Sarawakians, unlike the corrupt system practised by BN who only enrich their own cronies.

Interestingly, these immigration powers was not used by the BN Sarawak government to protect our economic interest as well as protect our local jobs just like in the case of Petronas. The issue of giving more job opportunities to Sarawakians has been raised up and agreed upon between Petronas and Adenan Satem since November 2014. It was also brought up by Adenan in the November 2014 Sarawak state assembly sitting.

However, more than 20 months have passed, yet only 39 percent of the management positions and 46 percent of the middle management positions are filled by Sarawakians in Petronas’s operations in Sarawak.

‘A cheerleader to Adenan?

YB Chong Chieng Jen urged the state government to withhold these work and immigration permits on the Aug 5, 2016. It was only on the Aug 7, 2016 that the Sarawak government decided to freeze these permits. It seems to be that if there was no pressure from the opposition, there would not be any action on the part of the government. SUPP’s role seem only to be a cheerleader to Adenan.

Then, it was also only just recently, that Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah called a meeting to understand the problem better after the issue was brought up by DAP through YB Chong Chieng Jen.

What have the Sarawak government done since 2014? Why only now call a meeting to “understand the problem” ? Have they been ignoring the problem all this while and only seem to be interested in using our autonomous powers to ban opposition leaders for their own gain and self-interest?

So, SUPP’s argument to “protect one’s house” does not hold water because they as part of the state government, has not played their role in protecting the economic interest of the people, but rather use it for their own political gain.

I would also like to remind them, that it was the very same BN government which SUPP is a part of that approved the amendments of the constitution in 1976 to which “demoted” Sarawak’s standing in the federation.


KELVIN YII is a parliamentary assistant to Stampin MP Julian Tan.

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