Since you’re in Sungai Besar, let’s have a debate, Pakatan tells 1MDB chief

(MMO) – Pakatan Harapan leaders challenged today 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) president Arul Kanda Kandasamy to face them in a debate ahead of the Sungai Besar by-election Saturday.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar noted that Arul was in the parliamentary constituency earlier today as part of a forum on national issues for civil servants and should accept their challenge.

“If he has come down to the field, let us fight,” she told a press conference here.

The Lembah Pantai MP said the debate would present Arul with the opportunity to clarify concerns raised by the federal opposition for the benefit of Sungai Besar voters.

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) strategic director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad who was also present offered himself as a debate candidate, alongside DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua and PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli.

“If can, Arul should debate here with us. He can chose between PKR’s Rafizi or DAP’s Tony or even me from Amanah,” Dzulkefly said.

Nurul Izzah sarcastically offered to provide a translator so the debate proceedings could be followed by the locals, a significant number who are said to be of Javanese descent.

The Prime Minister’s Department organised a closed-door talk at a school in Sekinchan earlier today to brief civil servants there on several national issues, including terrorism threats, the misuse of the Internet and how 1MDB has been purportedly been played up by the federal opposition ahead of the Sungai Besar by-election.

Apart from Arul, the other speakers were National Civics Bureau (BTN) director-general Datuk Ibrahim Saad and Bukit Aman’s Counter Terrorism deputy director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

Sungai Besar voters will choose their next MP from among three candidates on June 18: Barisan Nasional’s Budiman Mohd Zohdi, PAS’s Dr Rani Osman and Amanah’s Azhar Shukur.