KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said he had recently shot down a deputy minister’s proposal for the state to give up its autonomy on immigration matters.
“There was this deputy minister who approached me and suggested that we abolish our immigration rights. The person said to me, ‘It’s about time for us (Sarawak) not to have immigration control’.
“I said no,” Abang Johari was quoted by Bernama as saying, on the sidelines of a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) meeting here.
He said the state would defend its powers on immigration matters as stated in the constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
The Sarawak government had in the past barred politicians and activists from the peninsular, including Pakatan Harapan leaders.
Both Sarawak and Sabah are granted immigration powers under Section 66 of the Immigration Act.