Sabah welcomes those not endangering ‘unity’

Tanjung Papat and Elopura, two state seats held by the Gerakan, in danger of falling to DAP.

KOTA KINABALU: If there’s intelligence that shows that anyone’s presence in Sabah was to cause disturbance and a threat to the peace and harmony that it has enjoyed all this while, then the welcome mat would be pulled away.

The Sabah Government, stressed Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun, will deny entry to individuals it believes will spread “disunity and hatred” among the people. “Sabah’s door is always open to those who respect the prevailing unity, peace and harmony in the state.”

He was commenting in a statement carried by Malay Mail Online on the ban on Seputeh MP Teresa Kok who was denied entry at Sandakan Airport and sent back by the same flight to Kuala Lumpur, her last port of call.

Masidi alleged that opposition parties were employing “underhanded political tactics, propaganda, lies and deceit” to mislead the people in an attempt to garner support.

“They go to the rural areas to hoodwink the people and incite hatred against the government and cause disunity among the different races,” he claimed in the statement. “This is dangerous and we don’t want this in Sabah.”

Sabah, added Masidi, was the best example of racial and religious tolerance in Malaysia despite political differences.

“It is our strength and we won’t allow anyone to change this. It’s the duty of the Sabah Government to ensure that outsiders do not have the opportunity to preach hatred and divisiveness among the multi ethnic and multi religious Sabahans.”

Kok was in Sabah for a one night stay to attend a DAP Wanita installation event. The MP, who is also DAP national vice chairman, has queried the ban. “It’s a clear abuse of the state’s immigration powers, used without any valid grounds.”

Sources say that DAP has been making inroads through Kok in Tanjung Papat and Elopura, two state seats held by the Gerakan. The Gerakan fears that it will lose these two seats to the DAP should the party’s leaders from the peninsula be allowed to come to Sandakan.