PKR rep not happy at how she was deported
MIRI: Kuala Sepetang assemblywoman Chua Yee Ling was shocked by the way she was deported from Miri, which she described as “totally unnecessary”.
She disclosed that she was in the middle of her speech at the Pink Diamond dinner which was held at Eastwood and Country Club here on Saturday when she was handed a written reminder saying “five minutes” which she thought was a gentle time reminder from the organiser but later realised there was already a group of Immigration officials waiting for her below the stage.
“After my speech, I was quickly approached by my Keadilan colleagues who asked me to remain on stage and informed me the Immigration officials were there to immediately nab me and escort me to the Miri Airport,” Chua said in her press release to the media yesterday.
According to Chua, during the incident she was abruptly picked up from the Pink Diamond dinner at about 8.30pm and directly deported to Kuala Lumpur by Sarawak Immigration officials.
“It was fortunate they were blocked by our Keadilan members and the emcee then shared the situation with the few thousand-strong crowd and called the leaders at the VIP tables to be on the stage with me.”
After being briefed by Miri MP Dr Teo Yu Keng and Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How that the Immigration officials would still take her away from the dinner as per their instructions, she said she told everyone that she was willing to give full cooperation but demanded that the authorities agree not to disrupt the dinner again.
“I don’t blame the immigration officers because they were only carrying out their duties, Instead, I reserve my condemnation for the abuse of power by Sarawak state government,” she said, adding her speech was continued by state Pakatan Harapan chairman Chong Chieng Jen, who is Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman.
According to Chua, she fully respected Sarawak’s autonomy and power “but this responsibility must not be abused in this undemocratic, uncivilised and unprofessional manner”.
She claimed that it was clearly a selective ban, “a double standard that applies only to opposition political leaders”.
“Unlike my fellow Keadilan leaders YB Zuraida Kamaruddin, YB Hee Loy Sian and YB Nurul Izzah, I was allowed to enter Miri, Sarawak on Friday evening, but my rights as a Malaysian political leader would soon be suddenly taken from me.
“Until now I do not understand why Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg did this to me and what was the basis of banning and deporting me,” she said further.