Catholic Bishop Emeritus Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing has advised critics of Abdul Hadi Awang's remarks on Christianity to critique what he said but refrain from banning him, as a Sarawak political party has urged.

Tan was commenting on a call by the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) to have the PAS president banned from entering the state on account of derogatory remarks he made about the methods used by Christian missionaries not only in Sarawak and Sabah, but also in Africa.

The Sarawak government, which enjoys autonomy in immigration matters, has an illiberal record when it comes to admitting into the state peninsula social and political activists whose views they consider provocative.