Dr Sim denies holding Australian PR

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A screen grab of an argument between Dr Sim (top right) and Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei (DAP-Padungan) during Dr Sim’s winding up speech in the august House yesterday. Also seen is State Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Datuk Gerawat Gala (bottom left).

LOCAL Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian has again denied claims that he was a permanent resident of Australia.

He took the opportunity during his ministerial winding up speech at the august House yesterday to reiterate that he had never acquired Australia citizenship nor sworn allegiance to any country other than Malaysia.

“I was not a permanent resident of Australia when I contested the state elections in 2011 and 2016 and the general elections in 2013,” he said.

Dr Sim, who is also Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president, said he had to clear his name against the insinuations by Opposition lawmakers during the debate on a motion to disqualify DAP’s Dr Ting Tiong Choon as the Pujut lawmaker for acquiring an Australian citizenship.

The motion, tabled by International Trade and E-commerce Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, was supported by 70 state Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers and opposed by 10 from the Opposition.

In the heat of the debate, Dr Ting was reported to have told Wong to ask Dr Sim, who was working in Australia for 18 years, whether he was an Australian citizen.

Dr Sim said May 12 was a sad day for the august House and for Sarawak when Dr Ting was disqualified as state lawmaker for Pujut.

Dr Ting was alleged to have Australian citizenship in 2010, but renounced it in April last year, just before the May state elections.

In his speech, Dr Sim also criticised opposition members for having the habit to point fingers at SUPP assemblymen and make all kinds of allegations just to distract the attention of the people.

He said it cannot be denied that DAP is not a Sarawak party but a Peninsular Malaysian party unlike SUPP which is the ‘true son of Sarawak’.

This prompted response from DAP assemblymen who stood up to respond to Dr Sim.

One of the DAP assemblymen remarked that Dr Sim was making a ceramah instead of delivering ministerial speech and should be an Anti DAP minister.

In the midst of the argument, Dr Sim told the DAP assemblyman: “Naughty boy, sit down”.