“Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” Sarawak’s 30-year Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has this morning given another illustration to prove the truism of this famous aphorism by British historian Lord Acton.
Bersih2 Chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan was barred from entering Sarawak when she flew into Kuching from Subang in Firefly flight at 9 am and was forcibly repatriated to Kuala Lumpur by 10.40 am MAS flight as she is on Taib’s blacklist.
What has Taib to fear from Ambiga and Bersih2 when all she and Bersih2 wanted was to monitor the 10th Sarawak state general elections to ensure that the polls tomorrow are fair, free and clean.
Is Taib preparing for the dirtiest Sarawak state general elections tomorrow so that it will be the most fraudulent in the nation’s history to allow Taib to subvert, impede and defeat the greatest political awakening of Sarawakians of all ethnic groups since the formation of Malaysia in 1963 and in their demand for change?
Ambiga makes the trio of social activists denied entry into Sarawak in the election campaign – the other two being Wong Chin Huat and Haris Ibrahim.
I am reminded of the Greek saying: “Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad”.
Taib has again made Sarawak and Malaysia the laughting stock of the world.
The entry ban of the trio, Ambiga, Haris and Chin Huat is a grave violation of fundamental liberties and human rights guaranteed in the Malaysian Constitution.
It is also a most egregious abuse of power of the state immigration autonomy vested in Sarawak state government which is to protect the economic rights of Sarawakians from being swamped by West Malaysians in the jobs market and not to protect the abuses of power or corrupt practices of political leaders – which is why every Malaysian is guaranteed the right under the law to enter Sarawak “to pursue legitimate political activities”.
Even more serious, it is an open breaking of ranks by Taib and a public slap-in-the-face for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak particularly with regard to the latter’s 1Malaysia signature policy.
Where is 1Malaysia when Malaysians are not allowed to visit his or her own country to legally pursue “legitimate political activities”?
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had rubbished Najib’s 1Malaysia by declaring that he is Malay first Malaysian second would delight at Taib’s show of open contempt of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.
As Najib and his entire Federal Cabinet are in Sarawak – having closed down Putrajaya for six days in a federal takeover of the Sarawak BN election campaign – Najib and the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein cannot continue to remain silent at such blatant and flagrant abuse of power by Taib as Sarawak Chief Minister.
Is Najib prepared to say that Taib is wrong and had abused his powers in banning Ambiga, Haris and Chin Huat for this is not the purpose of Sarawak state immigration autonomy?