Tsu Koon accepts public debate with Guan Eng, with two conditions

PENANG, Aug 4 -- Provided two conditions are fulfilled, former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon will accept an open debate with his successor, Lim Guan Eng, on a land issue involving RM40 million.

The Gerakan acting president wants Lim to ensure a truly fair debate and to protect the interest of the state in a pending court hearing on the case.

"The condition is not an excuse to avoid or delay the debate but it is important because some of the points raised in the debate may jeopardise the state government's position in the court hearing," he said in the statement here Monday.

However, he said the chief minister's office and the state government's various departments must be declassified and made available to him to enable the debate to proceed fairly.

"I cannot remember the specific facts and dates related to the case although I can still recall roughly the basic aspects of this case," said Dr Koh, adding that such information was needed by both sides to prepare for arguments in the debate.

He said Lim must inform him and the public on the date fixed for the court hearing on the previous state government's appeal to reduce the amount claimed by the plaintiff in the case.

"The debate can only take place after the conclusion of the court hearing. Irrespective of who eventually wins the debate, the important thing is that both parties should try, by all means, to reduce the amount claimed from the state government," added Dr Koh.

For the record, both men faced each other in an open debate in the 1990s, at the Penang Chinese Town Hall when both were still youth chiefs of their respective parties.

-TMB