There is a Chinese idiom 欲加之罪, 何患無辞 which basically means that if there is an intention to frame up a person, a cooked up charge can be easily made.
Yesterday’s response by Sabah’s state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun to the ban on me is best described by the idiom.
Masidi has said that Sabah’s door is always to those who respect the prevailing unity, peace and harmony in the state and he added:-
“However, if we have intelligence that shows your presence here is to cause disturbance and a threat the peace and harmony we have enjoyed all this while, you are not welcomed here.”
It was also reported that Masidi alleged that opposition parties were employing underhanded political tactics, propaganda, lies and deceit to mislead the people in an attempt to garner their support.
“They go to the rural areas to hoodwink the people and incite hatred against the government and cause disunity among the different races. This is dangerous and we don’t want this in Sabah,” he claimed in a statement.
I want to categorically deny that I have made any speech or carried out any activity aimed at or that could cause disunity among the Sabah people.
Neither had I said nor done anything that could threaten the peace and harmony of Sabah.
I am an elected Member of Parliament and one of the DAP’s National Vice chairpersons. I have travelled to Sabah to carry out political activities openly. The police intelligence unit will definitely have a record of my speeches and works in Sabah.
I therefore challenge Masidi and the Sabah government to publish the intelligence which he claimed the state government has received that shows my presence is to cause disturbance and threaten the peace and harmony in Sabah.
I admit that I do criticize the BN government polices and this will cause the BN federal and Sabah governments to lose popularity and support. I also admit that my political mission is to bring about a political change in Sabah and Malaysia.
But even if the Sabah government views me as a political nuisance or threat, it is totally unacceptable for it to deny my entry to the state.
I reiterate that ban on me was politically motivated, unfair, unjust and unacceptable. It was a clear cut and blatant abuse of the autonomous immigration power.
I also wish to repeat my challenge to the Sabah and Sarawak state governments to fight the opposition fair and square at the polls and not impose entry ban on oppositionists who are viewed as their political threat.