SARAWAK has refused to grant exemption and lift the ban on the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) chairman Thomas Fann from entering Sarawak to allow him to address the civil society organisation’s Ketuanan Pengundi roadshow town hall in Kuching tomorrow.

The political activist has been on Sarawak’s so-called immigration “black list” since 2016.

Bersih said it physically submitted the application letter on June 13 to the state secretary and received the rejection letter on June 28.

It said while the Immigration Act grants Sarawak and Sabah the right to deny entry to any non-residents of the east Malaysian territories, it regretted the decision as the act was never intended to restrict legitimate political activities under section 67.

With the denial of entry, Fann will deliver his address virtually.

“Barring the chairman of Bersih will not stop the message of ketuanan pengundi,” Bersih said.

It has also prompted Bersih to call on the Sarawak government to lift the ban on Fann, politicians, lawyers, academics and other political activists on the “no-entry list” with immediate effect.

“A clean, stable and confident government who has nothing to hide needs not fear advocates of institutional reform or any dissenting voices, when it is supposedly pushing for a more open and decentralised Malaysia,” it said.

Bersih is on a nationwide roadshow to promote awareness of the electoral and political reforms needed to strengthen Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy before the next general election.

“Fann, as the chair of our organisation, is key in spearheading this important campaign and was expected to address this Saturday’s town hall in person,” said Bersih.

“Nonetheless, the message of restoring voters’ supremacy after the rakyat’s mandate had been pushed aside in the Sheraton Move (which plunged) our country into two and a half years of political uncertainty, cannot be stopped and will continue in Kuching and the rest of the country thereafter.” – July 1, 2022.