Two wrongs don’t make a right, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said today in response to the proposed ban against PAS president Hadi Awang from entering Sarawak.

Instead of banning Hadi following his remarks about Christian missionaries, Kok said the state government should instead invite him on a fact finding mission in Sarawak.

“Let him meet the relevant groups and people in Sarawak and let him see for himself the contribution of the Christian community towards nation-building in Sarawak and in Malaysia, as well as the inter-religious harmony in Sarawak.

“This is definitely a better way than banning him from entering in Sarawak as such a move will be seen as an abuse of the Sarawak’s immigration power,” said Kok in a statement.

She was responding to Sarawak People’s Party president James Masing who had reportedly supported the proposal first made by Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

“Hadi’s remarks are shocking, baseless and provocative and totally unacceptable and could even cause religious mistrust and hatred.

“However, two wrongs don’t make a right. Hadi should be castigated and continue to be severely criticised, but it will not be right to ban him from Sarawak,” stressed Kok who has also been banned from entering Sarawak.

A similar call to blacklist Abdul Hadi had also been made by Sarawak United People’s Party secretary-general Sebastian Ting.

Abdul Hadi had in an article by PAS' organ Harakah , claimed that Christianity was rejected by educated people.

He also reportedly accused Christian missionaries of targeting less educated people in Africa as well as Sabah and Sarawak for conversion by offering money and other aids.

‘ Lift ban on other activists’

At the same time, Kok also urged Adenan to lift the ban against her, other opposition leaders, as well as political activists.

“Till today, I am still in the dark as to why I have been banned from entering Sarawak as I have never been told the reason.

“I certainly am not a security or economic threat to Sarawak,” she said in urging Adenan to demonstrate himself as a reformist by fighting the opposition fair and square and lift all travel bans imposed against them.

Sarawak, which has its own immigration controls, has the right to ban citizens in the peninsula from entering the state.