Students, PAS Youth all for Najib-Anwar debate

The now-popular suggestion for a public debate between prime minister Najib Razak and parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim on policy matters received support today from influential Islamist students coalition, Peninsula Muslim Undergraduates Union (GAMIS).

Chairman of the coalition's council on national politics, Muhammad Hafizuddin Muhamed Noor, saying the students community and Malaysians in general had been eagerly looking forward to such an event, said GAMIS would be willing to organise the public debate.

"We are anxiously waiting for Najib to state his readiness to participate in the debate. Anwar has already stated his intention long ago.

"The undergraduates are ready to organise this debate," Hafizuddin told Harakahdaily.

Earlier, think tank Merdeka Center said based on its discussions with Malay professionals, there has been intense interest among them for both leaders to debate on matters affecting the nation.

"They prefer a new culture of debate, not personal attacks,” the think-tank's director Ibrahim Suffian said.

GAMIS meanwhile agreed that the debate should focus only on issues of governance and public interest, and not personal attacks.

"We also reject the idea that such a debate cannot be held in Malaysia," Hafizuddin added, referring to UMNO information chief Ahmad Maslan, who described public debates as "a Western culture" which had yet to find acceptance locally.

Live telecast

Meanwhile, PAS Youth also welcomed the suggestion, saying the idea of a debate should be seriously considered as a new political dimension in the country.

"With a biased media coupled with propaganda against opposition leaders for so long, a debate is needed to evaluate the views of both leaders.

"With the changing times, people have become more open and wise in their evaluation of a certain information," said the wing's information chief Riduan Mohd Nor to Harakahdaily.

Referring to MCA president Chua Soi Lek's claim that Najib was more popular than Anwar, Riduan said this was all the more reason for Najib to accept an invitation to a public debate.

"Najib should not have any worry in confronting Anwar on a debate platform," he stressed, and added that any such debate must be televised live nationwide.

-Harakahdaily