Read up on history, Sarawak minister hits back at Amanah leader

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has slammed an Amanah leader for labelling the state’s decision to bar him from entering a legacy of Barisan Nasional.

Karim said Amanah Youth vice-chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin should read up on history, especially on rights of Sabah and Sarawak, when the two nation-states signed the Malaysia Agreement in 1963.

The PBB vice-president said the agreement stipulated the two states had the right to bar those they felt were “undesirable to the state”.

Karim said Shazni therefore was wrong to label the ban on him entering Sarawak “a BN legacy”, especially since Sarawak has parted ways with the coalition.

“His emotional outburst and tantrum show that the state immigration has done the right thing.

“We don’t need bigots and characters who do not know how to behave themselves coming in and creating disharmony in our beloved state,” he told FMT.

Earlier today, it was reported that Shazni was turned away after he landed at the Sibu airport at 8.50am.

He went on to hit out at the Sarawak government, currently under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), accusing them of abusing their powers, just as the previous BN administration had.

“If the Sarawak government had really left the BN, yet retains its policies, it is best they rejoin BN,” he said in a statement.

Under the BN, Sarawak had banned several politicians who were then in the opposition, including PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli as well as DAP’s Teresa Kok and Tony Pua.

In June, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg announced that PBB, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Parti Demokratik Progresif (PDP), had unanimously agreed to quit BN.

The four parties have since formed GPS. - FMT