DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said won’t debate MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek a third time because he hopes that the next debate should be between prime ministerial candidates.

He said that the stage is now set for a showdown between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

chua lim debate 080712"The next debate everyone wants to see is between Anwar and Najib," he said at a press conference after a two-hour debate with Chua today.

Lim said that this was the norm in developed countries and it allowed its electorate to judge their potential leaders.

Pointing out that Chua has no government positions, there was no point debating him anymore.

"Chua kept on saying (during the debate) that Najib doesn't need to debate because he is ‘transformational leader’. If you use that type of logic then why should I debate with Chua?" he asked.

During the intense debate earlier, Lim had asked Chua why BN was not keen on having Najib debate Anwar in public.

Chua replied that Najib was a “transformational leader” whose efforts and results are widely publicised by the media while Anwar has little to show for.

During the press conference, Lim said that he was not trying to put down Chua despite the unequal standing, he said it was not an excuse to avoid the debate.

"The point is I can debate with Chua when his only official (government) position is as the PPC (Penang Port Commission) chairperson.

“(Thus) why can't the prime minister debate with the opposition leader and let Malaysians decide who is more qualified to be their leader," asked Lim.
Penang Port matters

According to independent pollsters Merdeka Centre, 54 percent voters, three quarters being young Malays, in the Peninsula wanted regular debates between Najib and Anwar.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister has repeatedly challenged Najib to a public debate on national policies but the latter has refused.

Meanwhile, Lim also said that Chua has "a lot" explaining to do with regards to the privatisation of the Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) and that it was a loss-making outfit.

"As the PPC chairperson he really hammered the Penang Port's financial performance. I'm sure Penang Port will have a lot to answer tomorrow. Don't forget the Penang Port is run by Umno," he said.

The much-coveted port was privatised to tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary's Seaport Terminal recently, insisting that the deal will make the port more competitive.

Although the debate was mostly a mudslinging session, both speakers spoke at lenght about policy matters concerning the Penang Port.