Syed Saddiq, who is a protem committee member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), issued the debate challenge in a statement released last night after he was barred from attending a talk by the 1MDB chief at Universiti Malaya (UM).
The talk had also featured Faisal Ismail Aziz from the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), which is Putrajaya’s propaganda unit.
Syed Saddiq said posters for the event said that it was open to all, but when he reached the venue, he was told that it was a closed-door event for UM students, despite there being many non-UM students inside.
“Why is Arul Kanda and Jasa so afraid to let me in? Surely, they are not afraid to answer questions from a small boy like me. Don’t be cowards,” Syed Saddiq said.
He pointed out that both he and Arul Kanda shared two things in common.
“We both completed our high school and basic military training course at the Royal Military College (RMC) and we were both debaters there.”
He said an Old Putera (RMC graduate) and a debater from RMC would never treat each other this way and he challenged Arul Kanda to a debate.
“If you are not in the wrong, accept my challenge. Don’t shy away. Be a principled person. Be a true ‘RMC’ boy.”
In May, Arul Kanda and 1MDB critic DAP’s Tony Pua were set to square off in a live debate on the 1MDB issue.
However, Arul Kanda subsequently said he could not debate on the issue due to the police’s investigation into the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) findings on 1MDB and 1MDB’s “public dispute” with International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic)
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