Rafizi, I accept, but it’s two debates or no debate

1. Exactly a month ago, PKR vice-president YB Rafizi Ramli had challenged me to debate on tax collections.

2. As he was busy in a public quarrel with some of his party colleagues then, I had requested him to ask me again one month later – which is now.

However, Rafizi may have forgotten.

3. Perhaps Rafizi is busy with his most recent controversy where his 99%-owned company Invoke Solutions Sdn Bhd was found to have paid his 99%-owned KEIP Resources Sdn Bhd using funds sourced from public donations.

4. On top of payments for manpower worth more than RM1.3 million between March and September 2017, KEIP resources was also found to have charged Invoke management surcharge fees – essentially profiting from public donations.

5. In any case, I now remind Rafizi of his debate challenge and humbly accept his challenge – despite this being the first public debate of my life – but I have one condition.

6. Before Rafizi challenged me,  DAP YB Tony Pua had publicly defended the Penang Tunnel project.

Hence, I had challenged DAP YB Tony Pua to a public debate on the controversial Penang Tunnel project but he did not respond.

7. This tunnel project involves state funds that can total more than RM15 billion and has many areas of great doubt and suspicion.

Among others, the Penang Govt had already paid more than RM220mil to do reports – which was found to be 400% above gazetted scale of fees.

It had also allowed RM3 billion of state land rights to be pre-sold despite the fact that the start of the construction having been delayed for many years.

8. The DAP Penang Government had remained strangely silent after I had raised new findings about the project in recent months.

A public debate on the project is thus needed where we can finally get answers from DAP.

9. Therefore, I will accept Rafizi’s debate challenge only if Rafizi also gets Tony Pua to debate on the Penang Tunnel.

10. It will be two debates or none at all.  Being the “pakar segala pakar”, Rafizi is also welcome to assist Tony Pua on the Penang Tunnel debate.

11. When Harapan ask me to debate then I have to accept thus it is only fair that when I ask Harapan reps to debate, they should also accept – especially if it is over a project involving rakyat money that can potentially reach RM15 billion.

12. If Rafizi agrees then I request him to get Invoke to organise the time and place for both debates.

Eric See-To,
Deputy Director,
Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications