The banning of Amanah president Mohamad Sabu from entering Sarawak yesterday indicates that Sarawak BN chief Adenan Satem has no intention of playing fair in the imminent state polls, said DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok.

Mohamad joins a growing list of opposition leaders barred from entering the East Malaysian state, which has immigration powers under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

While the chief minister has introduced several popular policies since taking over from long-serving CM Abdul Taib Mahmud, abuse of immigration powers for political purposes shows Adenan is no reformist, said the Seputeh MP.

“If Adenan is a fair and brave person, he must be prepared to make the coming Sarawak state election a free, fair and clean election.

“Banning political rivals from West Malaysia into Sarawak indicates not only his unwillingness to fight the opposition fair and square; it also indicates his lack of confidence of the people’s support for him and BN,” Kok said in a statement.

The Sarawak election must be called by June, but Adenan has hinted that state legislative assembly dissolution is "days" away.

Kok is also among those banned from Sarawak, but she said she has not been told why since she was barred entry in 2014.

Others barred from entering include DAP’s publicity chief Tony Pua, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and several members of clean and fair elections coalition Bersih.

Former Bersih chairperson S Ambiga in 2012 failed in her judicial review attempt to challenge the order to bar her from entering Sarawak.

While Sarawak has immigration rights, the law does not allow the state to bar those entering for legitimate political reasons.

Sarawak minister James Masing yesterday said Mohamad was barred to preserve social and religious harmony - a reason rubbished by Kok.

She also challenged Masing to reveal how she is a threat to the state.