Unable to get Guan Eng, Ibrahim Ali aims higher - debate me, Anwar!

KUALA LUMPUR, - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should debate Perkasa’s Datuk Ibrahim Ali and not the prime minister, the Malay rights group said today.

Its secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said a debate between Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Opposition Leader would only garner publicity for PKR and would be unfair to the country’s PM.

“It is not fair to drag the prime minister into the cheap political arena to give Anwar publicity. There is no need for Najib to entertain Anwar’s absurd wish.

“Anwar should debate the Perkasa president in regards to his support for Israel because Malaysians want to see his intention of supporting the Jews,” Syed Hassan said in a statement.

“It is better for Anwar Ibrahim to debate with Ibrahim, both from the Kamunting camp... Only then it is considered equal,” Syed Hassan said, referring to the infamous detention centre in Perak for those taken in under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Anwar, a former prime minister to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had been detained for 20 months in 1974 during his days as a firebrand student activist.

Ibrahim too had been held in the Kamunting Detention Centre around the same time.

Calls for Najib to hold a debate with Anwar over policy matters arose following last Saturday’s debate between political rivals MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Anwar has repeatedly challenged the sixth prime minister to discuss policies as well as the government’s direction in an open debate.

Other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have welcomed the challenge.

But Najib, who is also Umno president, has yet to comment on the latest debate dare. He had previously questioned the point of holding a debate.

“If we want to debate, there must be an outcome from the debate.

“I do not see one and what is important is public opinion,” he told reporters after attending a luncheon with the national football team at Seri Perdana here on January 12 last year.

Last week, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor hinted that the ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Malay party leaders were prepared to take on the opposition bloc.

Other Umno leaders were not as keen, saying Malaysians would not benefit from it.

Info : News