KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his long-time political foe Datuk Seri Najib Razak will finally have their time on stage tomorrow in what is described as one of the country’s highest profile debates in history.
The two political heavyweights have been at each other’s throats for a good part of the last decade-and-a-half.
It was in 2012 that the idea of a debate between the pair was first floated, only to be rejected by Najib.
Najib was Umno president and only into his third year as prime minister, while Anwar was serving his first term as opposition leader after being relegated to the sidelines of Malaysian politics until 2008 following his sodomy conviction in 1999.
In recent months, however, both leaders appear to cut frustrating figures – Najib haunted by his court cases involving his 1MDB financial shenanigans, and Anwar struggling to maintain PKR’s popularity on the back of defeats in Melaka, Sarawak and Johor.
While tomorrow’s debate lacks the excitement of one that should have taken place a decade ago, it could prove to be a pivotal moment for both the Umno-led government and the opposition, given the impending 15th general election (GE15).
How it all began
The debate, interestingly, was not initiated by either Anwar or Najib. Instead, it was PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli who first issued the challenge.
It revolves around the embattled public-listed company Sapura Energy Bhd, which has substantial financial backing from state-owned Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNB), with a 40% stake in the company.
Sapura Energy came under the spotlight recently after it was reported that the firm required further financial backing to survive, raising questions about whether PNB would have to pump more funds into the financially troubled oil and gas company.
After being entangled in weeks of verbal taunting, Rafizi challenged Najib to a debate earlier last month, with the latter setting the condition that it should also involve Anwar.
On April 4, the PKR president said he accepted Najib’s offer, with the Umno man also confirming the same day that he would take up the challenge.
PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil and Selangor Barisan Nasional information chief Isham Jalil were respectively appointed as the event’s coordinators.
How it’s going
On April 17, Fahmi and Isham revealed that the highly anticipated debate will take place on May 12 at 9pm at Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Dewan Tunku Canselor and will be aired live for public viewing.
Apart from focusing on Sapura Energy, Anwar and Najib agreed that the discourse should also cover a wider range of topics of public interest.
According to Fahmi and Isham, the debate will be separated into three segments, the first focusing on issues faced by Sapura Energy and whether it needed to be bailed out by the government.
The second segment will focus on “The Future of Malaysia”, covering the aspects of economy, politics, governance and the country’s direction, while the third and final segment will be for questions and answers.
Last Friday, Anwar and Najib said in a joint statement that the debate venue has been moved to the Malaysian Tourism Centre complex, after UM decided against allowing the event to take place within its campus.
What to expect
Much of the finer details of the debate have yet to be revealed, including who will organise and moderate the event, as well as the platforms that will be airing the programme live.
But it is expected that the debate will be held in a largely controlled and organised manner, as with past political debates, with each leader being given a certain time limit to answer the respective questions.
While no winner is expected to be announced at the end of the debate, it could offer the public a glimpse into some of the plans that both parties have, as well as bring closer scrutiny on their past and current performance.
This will particularly be the case for the second and third segments, when questions about public policies and economic performance are expected to be asked.
With the general election rumoured to be held by the end of this year, tomorrow’s debate could very well be an early indication of what the rakyat can expect from the two veteran leaders and their respective parties come polling day. – The Vibes, May 11, 2022
