Yii fielding questions from reporters.
KUCHING: A Democratic Action Party (DAP) lawmaker is questioning Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and the state government’s decision to deny Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) member Prof Dr Wong Chin Huat entry into the state.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said that Abang Johari and the state government should answer for the reasons behind barring Dr Wong’s entry as he opined that the ERC member did not serve as a threat to the state’s racial and religious unity.
“Based on Section 68 of the Immigration Act, any person on official duty from the federal government are allowed to enter the state.
“I am not in any way questioning the state’s immigration autonomy as I am also fully defending it. However, Abang Johari and the state government will need to answer for this.
“I do not think he serves as a threat to the racial and religious unity here in Sarawak as he is here to educate and gain feedback from the locals in order to improve our electoral system to be more proportionate, equitable and fair,” he said when met by members of the press at the Borneo House Museum in Kota Sentosa here this morning.
On Thursday, Wong was supposed to take a flight back to Kuala Lumpur at 8.50pm after being denied entry to the state, but complained of a headache and a high blood pressure reading of 194/110 while waiting in the airport’s Immigration office.
He said in a Facebook post that medical aid only arrived after Minister of Health Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad intervened and arranged a doctor to check on his condition before spending a night at Kuching General Hospital.
With that in mind, Dr Yii revealed that after the blood pressure check-up, Wong requested for a doctor, but was disallowed from doing so. He added that even after recording such critical blood pressure levels, he was delayed in terms of receiving medical treatment.
Due to this, Dr Yii questioned the state Immigration Department director Datu Ken Leben as he believed that Ken needed to answer for the irregularities in terms of their standard operating procedures (SOPs) in handling Wong’s medical condition.
“In such a critical time, he was delayed from receiving the medical treatment needed. This is very dangerous because at this rate, anything can happen.
“Only after he texted Dr Dzulkefly that the federal minister intervened by contacting the state health director to send a doctor all the way from the General Hospital. It is a shame that it require a federal minister to intervene in getting him medical treatment.
“As such, the state Immigration Department should not make excuses – but instead improve and refine their SOPs so that in the future, such cases will not happen again. Emergency and medical help should be provided regardless of their circumstances,” Dr Yii added.