Let's have a debate, Tun M challenges Najib

PETALING JAYA: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has stated his preparedness to be questioned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak over the former's alleged wrongdoings during his tenure.
The offer, however, came with a catch. It must be done in a debate session between the two leaders.
In a recent blog posting, Mahathir said a head-to-head showdown would allow the public to listen and make their own judgment on which leader had actually tried to hide the facts.
"You (Najib) can come with your senior officials, young ministers. Bring along experts from overseas, including Cambridge Analytica, to whisper the answers when you can't answer them.
"You can also ask on my record when I was the prime minister for 22 years. Ask me about the billions in losses incurred by Bank Negara, the losses by Perwaja and others. I will not bring any experts. It will be only me," he said.
Mahathir, in his trademark sarcastic jab against Najib, said the prime minister should not be afraid of an old man like him.
"You are still young. Why should you be afraid to debate with a man in his 90s," he said.
The 93-year-old Mahathir was recently appointed as the prime minister candidate for opposition Pakatan Harapan, a coalition which he chairs.
"But Najib is afraid to debate me. During the two Nothing to Hide forums that were organised, Najib was afraid to attend," Mahathir said.
"Instead, the police were ordered to stop the forum," he said.
Mahathir called on Najib to openly declare that he indeed did not have anything to hide, despite various allegations of misconduct over government's administration.
Efforts to reach the Prime Minister's Office for comments were futile till press time.