PKR will seek clarification from the Sarawak government if Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Malay leaders are barred from the state.

“I will formally ask the state secretary (if they are barred),” PKR Sarawak deputy election director Baharuddin Mokshen said when asked if Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be coming over to help in the campaign in the state.

“I was made to understand Sarawak would not allow them in.”

Baharuddin said there were plans to get Dr Mahathir, the PH’s chairman and prime minister designate, to campaign in areas around Kuching such as Stampin and Petra Jaya with caretaker Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali slated for Selangau and incumbent Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar for Miri.

While Dr Mahathir and Azmin are not thought to be on the so-called “blacklist” of people barred from the state, Nurul Izzah is.

So are other PKR leaders such as Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

However, Sarawak, which has autonomy over immigration under the Malaysia Agreement, had allowed Nurul Izzah and Zuraida last year after they applied for permission.

Though the state government had never disclosed who are on the blacklist, it contained the names of incumbent Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, incumbent Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, PKR’s Rafizi Ramli, lawyer and activist Ambiga Sreenevasan, Perkasa’s firebrand chief Ibrahim Ali and Red Shirts leader Jamal Md Yunos.

“The bottom line is that BN fears us. It’s a good indicator. They are worried of losing. If you are strong, you won’t bother,” Baharuddin said.

Baharuddin said even though they had allowed caretaker Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng in during the weekend, they are fearful of allowing PH’s Malay leaders in for fear “we might make inroads into the Malay areas”.

“That’s obvious. Basically the urban areas are gone for them (BN).”

He said if the opposition managed to reach the Malay areas, “it will reflect (badly) on the leadership of (chief minister) Abang Johari (Openg)”. – May 3, 2018.