State BN chief Adenan Satem has dared the opposition to challenge BN only on Sarawakian issues, and not to mention the financial scandal surrounding 1MDB and other national issues.

"I challenge the opposition parties, especially DAP : don't drag national issues into Sarawak. Fight me and my team on local Sarawak issues. Don't use national issues like 1MDB to attack Sarawak BN. Those issues have nothing to do with Sarawak," Adenan is quoted as saying by The Star .

"I know that the opposition parties will bring in national issues to attack Sarawak BN. DAP likes to do this. I challenge them to fight using only Sarawak issues and not national issues," Adenan said during a pre-election campaign tour in Miri yesterday evening.

He said he has implemented more than 50 "good things" for Sarawak since becoming chief minister in 2014. "I have reduced assessment rates throughout Sarawak, abolished quit rent, abolished toll and reduced electricity tariffs, among other things.

"I am not afraid to face the opposition on local issues because I know the good things that the state government has done," he said.

Defends ties with Najib

Adenan also defended his relationship with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak: "Why can't I have a close working relationship with the prime minister? It is for the sake of developing Sarawak.

"I give my total support to Najib because, of all the prime ministers, he has visited us the most and given us the most financial help. Najib has come to Sarawak at least 50 times and allocated RM3 billion in development funds. Of course, I support him for that," he is quoted as saying.

Yesterday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng called on voters to deny the state BN a big victory, saying it would give Najib a mandate on GST. He also attacked Adenan's support of the prime minister in the midst of the RM42 billion financial scandal revolving around 1MDB.

"They ban us because they are afraid of only one thing, that DAP leaders will tell Sarawakians this one point, that is Adenan has supported, and will continue to support Najib," Lim told voters in Kuching, Serian and Bau.

At least a dozen DAP leaders have been barred from entering the state. The state government said it will not release the classified ban list.

Malaysiakini has tracked at least 40 opposition lawmakers, activists and academicians who have been banned from entering Sarawak thus far.