Both Sarawak and Sabah are granted autonomy over immigration matters under Section 66 of the Immigration Act.

“Our immigration power has always been in the minds of the federal government, starting from the top,” Mandut told FMT.

“In fact, this was pointed out by opposition leader Jeffrey Kitingan in September.

“Jeffrey was the only leader who managed to catch Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hidden meaning in the latter’s Malaysia Day speech in Kota Kinabalu.”

In his speech, Mahathir had noted that Sabahans and Sarawakians could travel to Peninsular Malaysia without encumbrances.

Jeffrey believed Mahathir was hinting at the fact that people from the peninsula, on the other hand, had to obtain special passes to stay and work in Sabah and Sarawak.

Jeffrey also said Mahathir’s next words about differences in opinions among leaders in the three provinces of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak were the prime minister’s attempt to make a connection between immigration autonomy and the barring of some politicians from entering Sabah and Sarawak.

Mandut said while he agreed with Jeffrey, he was concerned about the deafening silence from the Warisan government on the issue, after the Malaysia Day speech and the revelation by Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg that Sarawak had been asked to give up immigration control.

“I waited and waited, yet they said nothing. It is suspicious indeed that a Sabah government, purportedly big on Sabah rights, would not stand by Sarawak and defend this right.

“This worries me. Are we going to lose our immigration rights? This federal government could force the Warisan government to give up its autonomy on immigration matters on the pretext of national integration as Mahathir is a believer in a unitary state, not federalism,” he added.

Mandut also urged Sabah to defend whatever little immigration control it has left.