Separated from family, Bersih activist invokes God's wrath on Sabah leaders

• UPDATED 1.20PM | Added another case involving Sabah Bersih vice-chairperson Fadhil Kasim.

After being barred from Sabah for nearly two months, Bersih director Asraf Sharafi Azhar last night penned a heartfelt post decrying the cruelty of those in power for separating him from his family.

The activist said that despite his relentless attempts to get an answer from the Sabah Chief Minister’s Office and the state immigration authorities, no one could explain why he had been banned from the state.

Instead, some of those who used to champion freedom of speech have now turned the blame on him for being critical of the government, while others have told him to beg the Sabah government to lift the restriction, Asraf lamented.

“My family and I are the ones being oppressed. I am the one being barred, yet I am made to look as though I am the one at fault.

“In fact, they themselves cannot even say what wrong I have committed that warrants me being barred, other than playing on foolish sentiments.

“They do not even dare to state what my alleged offence is because they are all cowards, using their power to oppress people. They flatter and bow down just to get close to those in positions of power,” he said on Facebook.

“If this is what power looks like, then it is a disgrace. The most despicable form of power is power without honesty or accountability. The most despicable form of power is power used to oppress. They have power, yet they use it to trample on the people who speak out,” he stressed.

Asraf, who is married to a Sabahan with whom he has two children, was blocked from entering Sabah upon his arrival at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport on June 30.

He was then deported to Kuala Lumpur.

‘Seek forgiveness from my wife, children’

In his post, Asraf warned those responsible for his predicament of divine justice and said he would never forgive them unless they beg for it from his wife and children.

“Those in power, one day you will fall. You might escape (punishment) in this world. But God is never asleep nor forgets.

“I will never forgive this injustice until you kiss the feet of my children and my wife.”

Malaysiakini has contacted the Sabah Chief Minister’s Office for comment.

Not the only one

Asraf is not the only Bersih member to face issues with the authorities in the state.

Sabah Bersih vice-chairperson Fadhil Kasim today confirmed that he had handed over his mobile phone to Tawau police after seven months of being investigated for two Instagram postings allegedly critical of Sabah Governor Musa Aman and Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

Fadhil said he was first investigated in February and, at the time, was told he did not need to hand over his mobile phone.

“There was a police report lodged in Lahad Datu. Why? They were unhappy that I made two critical advocacy posts with images of the Sabah governor and chief minister.

“The first post is about how the governor can be sacked under the law.

“The second post criticises the date for Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s convocation that clashes with the state election, causing trouble for many students and parents. The governor is also UMS chancellor,” Fadhil said in an Instagram post last night.

Earlier today, he questioned the police’s need to confiscate his mobile phone when investigations could still proceed otherwise.

He also said he had switched his phone wallpaper to a caricature of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, symbolically set on fire during a student protest in Kota Kinabalu last year.

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