KUCHING, April 27 ― Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem was mistaken to think that national issues are not important topics in the state election, said Parti Amanah Negara deputy president Salahuddin Ayub.

He said national issues could not be separated from local matters as Sarawak is still part of the country and its people inevitably affected by Putrajaya’s decisions.

“To us, all policies and whatever happens and is decided by the federal government does impact the people of Sarawak. Look at what has happened with GST (Goods and Services Tax),” he told reporters today at the Amanah operations centre here.

Adenan recently challenged opposition parties in Sarawak to fight his Barisan Nasional coalition on local instead of national issues, which he said were out of the state government's hands.

Amanah vice-president Dr Hatta Ramli, who was also present, stressed that it was unfair to make such a challenge to the opposition, especially when federal ministers were visiting Sarawak to campaign with the BN candidates.

“They are bringing the prime minister, and the whole Cabinet is coming from BN to campaign. But we can’t bring up national issues?” he said.

Hatta also honed in on Adenan’s warning for DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng to “behave” or face expulsion, saying the remark revealed the BN chief’s overconfidence and would backfire.

“That is uncalled for. Does he think these politicians are children for him to discipline?” he said.

Although the two DAP leaders entered Sarawak unhindered, other non-native opposition leaders have not been able to make it beyond the Kuching airport.

Those barred from entering ― at least for the duration of the election ― include DAP’s Anthony Loke, Teresa Kok, Tony Pua, Teo Nie Ching, PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar, Chua Tian Chang, Shamsul Iskandar, Zuraida Kamaruddin, Sim Sze Tsin, and Amanah’s Mohamad Sabu.

Sabah and Sarawak have autonomy over their respective state’s immigration, and is empowered to deny entry to individuals whom they deem to be unfit.