Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Mohamad Sabu has been barred from entering Sarawak.

“I was sent back as soon as I arrived at the Sibu airport around 10.30am,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu, said no reasons were given.

"I was also not informed on what grounds I was barred from entering," he said.

However, he said he was aware that the ban on him came from the Sarawak Chief Minister's office.

Mohamad arrived with his special officer at Sibu airport at around 10.30am but they were detained during immigration check.

Mohamad said he was supposed to be on a two-day visit to Sarawak in anticipation of the Sarawak state election expected to be held next month.

The Sarawak government has banned a slew of opposition leaders from entering the state.

They include PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah and Tian Chua, PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, PKR elections director Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, PKR's Subang MP R Sivarasa and DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.

Saifuddin had said that he will appeal to the Sarawak government to lift the ban as they needed to help out in the state election.

The Sarawak government has autonomy over immigration control but cannot ban people from the state if they are there for political activities.

Ban slammed

Amanah secretary-general Mohd Anuar Tahir in a statement later condemned the ban.

He said the initial impression that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem would be different from his predecessor had been proven wrong.

"The arrogance displayed by Adenan today shows how he remains within the framework of the narrow-minded politics of the past practised by the previous chief minister," he said.

Meanwhile, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil slammed the continuing ban on opposition leaders entering the state.

"Stopping Pakatan Harapan leaders from meeting the people of Sarawak is a desperate act which is much regretted," he said in a statement.

Fahmi also criticised Adenan's use of bureaucracy to block the leaders.

"In an advanced and progressive democracy, political opponents are attacked with ideas and arguments, not attacked through bureaucratic procedures, as is taking place now.

"The Adenan administration must end its policy of barring Malaysians with political views that differ from it from entering Sarawak for the sake of a more mature democracy and a better Malaysia," he said.