Kota Kinabalu: The Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Wanita wing urged all quarters to respect Sabah’s immigration autonomy rights, including the State Government’s recent decision to bar Bersih Executive Director Asraf Sharafi from entering the state.
Its Chief Datuk Redonah Bahanda said the decision was made in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Constitution and the Immigration Act, whilst taking into account aspects of security, public order and the State’s absolute interests.
She emphasised that Sabah’s immigration autonomy is not a political privilege, but an exclusive right under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which grants full power to the State Government to determine the entry of individuals.
“Sabah’s immigration autonomy is not a political privilege, but a right provided under MA63.
“All parties must respect every decision regarding the entry of individuals into Sabah, as long as it is made within the boundaries of the law,” she said, Thursday.
Redonah condemned the actions of a youth and student activist who allegedly made statements and social media posts that crossed the line of decency by questioning the constitutional right.
She said freedom of speech guaranteed in a democratic system must not be abused to insult, incite or hurl baseless accusations against government institutions and the State leadership.
She reminded that the right to assemble and freedom of speech remain subject to existing laws, including the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
She also strongly rejected allegations by certain quarters attempting to create a negative perception against Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
She said the Hajiji-led State Government remains committed to strengthening governance and integrity through various ongoing initiatives.
This includes the implementation of the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP), the Sabah State Public Service Integrity Plan (PIPANS), the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Committee (GIA), and the Sabah Big Data and Governance System (BIGoNS).
She also reminded all parties to respect the Sabah Head of State institution and to practise a mature democratic culture based on facts and the law.
Meanwhile, activist Muhammad Faisal Mohamad Mohidin reminded Bersih that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the Immigration Act 1959/63 both empower the state government to control the entry of individuals into Sabah.
Faisal said all parties respect the family matters of each individual, but family issues should not be used as grounds to dispute decisions made under the provisions of the law, nor to build a particular political narrative.
“Any outside party should respect Sabah’s autonomy and not turn the state into an arena for provocation or political conflict that could threaten the harmony of the community,” he said.
He said claims describing Immigration’s action barring Asraf entering Sabah as a form of intimidation must be supported by evidence.
He regretted the statement issued by the Bersih Steering Committee which linked the matter to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is in Makkah performing his umrah.
Faisal also urged Bersih not to manipulate the narrative of a previous case involving Fahmi Reza in 2025.
