Nazri suggests alternative debate venues

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz today said the debate between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and him could be held at the police training auditorium in Cheras, or in Antarctica.
He said the debate could be held in these places if the police are concerned that a discourse between him and the former premier would disrupt peace and public order.
"I was told the police auditorium is big. Maybe we can ask the police to organise this event," he said at the Parliament media room today.
"If there is no place for the debate in Malaysia, we can do it in Antarctica," said an obviously frustrated Nazri.
"There are lots of penguins there. Penguins do not understand Malay or English, so there won't be any riot," he quipped.
"This is an intellectual discourse. If the police are not intellectual, I can't help it. This (the debate) is a healthy democratic process," said Nazri, whose outburst comes after Selangor police last Saturday cancelled the permit for the showdown, a day after approving the permit for the debate to be held at Karangkraf's headquarters in Shah Alam.
This was the second time the debate was cancelled, as Perak police had refused to issue a permit when it was first scheduled to be held in Kuala Kangsar on March 25.
The debate was to be, among other things, on the 1MDB issue, the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal in the 1980s and Bank Negara Malaysia's foreign exchange losses.
Asked what could have prompted the police to bar the debate, Nazri said maybe the police regarded him as a national threat.
"I cannot imagine I am a threat to the nation even though I am a minister. What if I am from the Opposition?" he asked.
"Mahathir is a old and frail man. He can't be a threat. Maybe I was the reason why the police did not allow the debate. Maybe because I look like a gangster, I don't know," he added.
Nazri said he is prepared if there is any suggestion for the debate to be postponed and held in any new location.
"No problem. I can debate Mahathir anytime. Tell Mahathir don't run. I dedicate this song 'I will follow you' to him," he said.
However, Nazri dismissed a suggestion that the debate be held in a hotel or it be live-streamed online.
"I want the public to be around. If the police are not intellectual I can't help it, (but) the public are (intellectual).
"People are not going to have a punch-up after a debate. Maybe that's how the police are, every time there is a rally, they want a punch-up to happen," he added.
On Sunday, Kumpulan Media Karangkraf, the organiser for the debate, said it was clueless as to why a permit was required for it to take place.
Its managing director, Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub, said the group had organised 45 similar debates to date, none of which required them to obtain approval from the authorities.
"Before this, there was never a need to apply for a permit. We just had to inform the police. But they insisted that we apply for one this time, I'm not even sure why.
"We have organised 45 such debates. There was even one involving then Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and the Election Commission, where thousands came to watch. Even that, we only informed the authorities," he told theSun.
However, Hussamuddin said Karangkraf would respect the police decision, and would not go ahead with the debate.