PKR welcomes Najib-Anwar public debate

Jan 25: Parti Keadilan Rakyat has welcomed the call by a think tank that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and prime minister Najib Razak have a public debate on policy matters.

"This is a good idea especially in the run up to the general election, as has been the practice in many countries, including now in Japan and [South] Korea, where political debates are held for people to evaluate policies," the party's information chief Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty (right) told Malay daily Sinar Harian.

Nur's support for the debate however starked in contrast with his UMNO counterpart Ahmad Maslan, who said public debates were "a Western culture" which had yet to be accepted in this country.

Earlier, the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research said based on its discussions with Malay professionals, there has been intense interest among them for both leaders to debate on matters affecting the nation.

"They prefer a new culture of debate, not personal attacks,” the think-tank's director Ibrahim Suffian said.

Earlier this month, speaking at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Alor Setar, Anwar repeated his challenge to Najib to a public debate, one year after a similar challenge was scoffed by Najib who said debates were futile because they could not lead to any "outcome".

NOT JUST A TEH TARIK SESSION ... Merdeka Center says the public looking forward to a debate between Anwar and Najib

"If we want to debate, there must be an outcome from the debate," Najib reportedly said.

Still no debate

In January 2011, UMNO Youth leader and Rembau member of parliament Khairy Jamaluddin and Pantai Rengis MP Nazri Aziz had each volunteered to take on Anwar themselves. However, PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli had then offered to take on Khairy. The tit-for-tat calls for debate over the media however did not materialise in any debate.

The only time Anwar was allowed to have a televised debate with a Barisan Nasional leader was in 2008, days before his official return to parliamentary politics by winning the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Then, Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who was the Information minister, represented the government to defend its decision to hike-up oil prices.