DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has suggested that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak too should be barred from travelling overseas due to the 1MDB saga which is being investigated internationally.

He said this after Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, who was scheduled to receive the 2016 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights on behalf of her organisation in South Korea, was yesterday banned from leaving the country.

Lim (photo) noted that the party's own Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua had likewise faced a similar travel ban without proper reason.

"Pua had to go to court to compel the government to give the reason for his ban, that his travel rights were restricted allegedly because he was under police investigations for 'activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy' although he had so far been called in for questioning by the police only as a witness in police investigations.

"By such logic, Najib should be banned from travelling overseas for his twin global financial scandals, the RM50-55 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion 'donation' scandals, which are being investigated by at least eight separate countries, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of the US," Lim said in a statement today.

Lim also criticised Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed for stating that the government did not need to disclose the reason it imposed the travel ban on Maria (photo).

Lim said the travel ban on Maria was undemocratic and a violation of fundamental liberty on the freedom of movement.

"(It) makes a complete mockery of Malaysia’s commitment to promote human rights, especially as Maria Chin was travelling to South Korea to receive the Gwangju Prize on Human Rights Award, an award previously bestowed upon Aung Sang Suu Kyi and Xanana Gusmao.

"Why have a Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) when the government is prepared to so blatantly abuse human rights in Malaysia?

"Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should tender an apology to Maria Chin and Tony Pua and take immediate action to restore their fundamental democratic right to travel freely overseas," he said.