Tony Pua will not debate nobodies

The duel between BN’s Eric See-To and DAP lawmaker Tony Pua has taken a “personal” twist, with the former claiming that he had given the latter a loan of  RM100,000, some 12 years ago.

See-To wrote this on his Facebook page, in response to the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, earlier today shooting down a debate dare by the BN strategic communications deputy director, saying that See-To was a “nobody”.

According to See-to, he and Pua had known each other for the last 15 years, when they both ran their respective IT companies and did business with each other and worked on joint projects.

“Since he listed his company amidst the dot-com rush in 2001, Tony Pua’s Cybervillage had straight six years of continued losses from 2002 to 2007, until Tony Pua left the company and joined DAP.

“When his company got into some cash-flow issues in 2005 or 2006, before he went into politics, he called me for a loan for (sic) RM100k, and within hours, it was this ‘nobody’ who gave it to him which he then gave me this IOU letter,” wrote See-to, referring to the acronym of a letter of acknowledgment of debt, purportedly signed by Pua, which he had attached to the Facebook post.

See-to further wrote that despite their political differences, he was one of the first to congratulate Pua when the latter was elected MP in 2008. Later, he also helped out by arranging fund-raising golf tournaments, he added.

“But I guess now he is a high-flying Member of Parliament, he can dismiss me as a nobody and no longer considers me as a friend.

“Times have changed, I guess you need to be at least a deputy minister these days before Tony Pua will layan you,” See-to said, adding he was compelled to reveal the IOU since Pua had fired the first shot.

“YB Tony, you truly disappoint me. I guess fame and power has ubah (changed) you now,” he said, playing on DAP’s motto.

When contacted, Pua told Malaysiakini that he would “respond in time.”

See-to then claimed that DAP always shies away from debating about the tunnel project in Penang, as if “there is something big to hide”.

He then urged Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli to advise his Pakatan Harapan colleague Pua to “be brave” and accept the debate challenge.

Earlier today, Pua had told Malaysiakini that he had no qualms participating in a debate on the Penang undersea tunnel, but said it had to be with BN strategic communications director and minister, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, and not a “nobody” like See-to.

“What nonsense! Who is he? He is not even an MP or deputy minister. Why should I debate a nobody?

“I will agree to debate both the tunnel project and 1MDB issues but only with his boss Abdul Rahman,” Pua had said when See-to roped him in when accepting PKR vice-president Rafizi’s challenge to debate on tax collections.

The BN man said he was willing to debate Rafizi on one condition, which is for the latter to convince Pua to take up See-To’s challenge to lock horns over the tunnel project.

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Dear Eric Seeto,

Do you need a box of tissues?

As the saying goes, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

For years you hid behind a pseudonym, ‘Lim Sian See’ to take potshots at Pakatan leaders because there’s no need to be accountable. You are currently not part of the Government or a political party leader. You are not a Minister, Deputy Minister, MP or ADUN. Anything you say in a statement or in a debate, is completely deniable by your political bosses.

As it stands today, you are a ‘nobody’ in politics.

The fact that you can’t give a straight answer to Rafizi’s debate challenge without dragging someone completely unrelated into some laughable condition reveals your insecurity and true colours.

And because your political ego is so fragile, you wailed like a newborn crybaby.

Oh yes, you did congratulate me after I won PJU in 2008. And yes, you kindly provided me with a RM100k 10-day loan for my then-company when we faced problems with our own debtors some 12 years ago. Yes, thank you very much.

So, because of that, you are ‘somebody’? Because of that, you are terribly ‘hurt’? Are tears rolling out too? Do you need a pacifier?

Don’t make me laugh.

You have made the choice to swim with the sharks in BN. You have decided that it is in your interest to publicly defend and lick the asses of the kleptocratic leaders who have stolen tens of billions of ringgit to enrich themselves. You have thrown your lot with them. So man up to being spanked in public by your political adversaries.

I have made it my mission to fight these crooks, and whoever who stands by them – regardless of whether they were friends or even family. And I make no apologies for it.

So Eric, if you want to see a meaningful debate on the Penang Tunnel and 1MDB, get your boss, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, or any other Ministers for that matter, in the ring. I certainly don’t chicken out from debates like Arul Kanda.

And just in case you have forgotten, the Penang Tunnel issue has already been debated by Penang State Exco Lim Hock Seng with Gerakan Sec-Gen, Liang Teck Meng, in June this year. So we have nothing-to-hide, unlike your big big boss.

If you really think you are a political hotshot, then get yourself made a Minister or perhaps a Deputy who is answerable to his job, then yes, you will get your debate date.

Finally, I’m sure you will want the last word and whine some more after this. Go ahead, entertain yourself silly. But this will be my only response. I’m pretty sure my voters will tell me I have better and more important things to do – and they are right.

Oh, and please don’t call me ‘your friend’, I also don’t like being embarrassed in public.

Tony Pua