Guan Eng agrees debate must go on, tells Umno foe to pick date
(MMO) – Lim Guan Eng concurred today with Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan that their debate on the Taman Manggis land issue must proceed as planned despite suggestions for its cancellation.
The Penang chief minister also urged his Umno opponent to propose an appropriate date for the showdown, saying the latter should not backtrack on his own offer to discuss the issue publicly.
“While I respect views expressed by certain parties that this debate on Taman Manggis or any other topic between Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan and myself should be cancelled, this debate should be allowed to proceed in the spirit of healthy democratic engagement and the interests of ‘seeking truth from facts’,” Lim said in a statement.
The DAP secretary-general pointed out that he had immediately accepted Abdul Rahman’s debate challenge last Thursday, the day after it was proposed, and had given the Umno minister until April 16 to organise the event to allow the latter to prove his sincerity and commitment to the matter.
He noted Abdul Rahman would have returned from his trip abroad on April 15, giving him no reason not to hold the debate by the night of April 16.
“Both RTM and TV3 has offered to broadcast live the debate. Accordingly, Abdul Rahman Dahlan should not backtrack now but suggest his proposed dates for this debate to take place,” Lim said.
On Twitter last night, Abdul Rahman acknowledged that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Special Committee on Corruption (SSC) had suggested calling off the debate due to concerns that the event may affect an ongoing corruption investigation against Lim.
But the minister disagreed and urged the SSC to rethink its position, saying the debate could instead provide new information on the matter.
Lim had last week accepted Abdul Rahman’s challenge for a debate over the issues surrounding the land in Taman Manggis, George Town, which the minister claimed involved corruption.
Abdul Rahman has claimed to have in possession documents to support his claims, including two documents showing Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC) indirectly re-selling the land to a third party for about RM70.6 million.
