'Cowardly' Najib uses RPK crutch to catch Anwar in 3-cornered debate

Opposition Leaderi Anwar Ibrahim he has accepted an offer from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to debate Prime Minister Najib Razak and fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin in a three-cornered debate.

“Assange said he wants to organize the debate. It could be a three-cornered debate. I told him I agreed,” Anwar  told a press conference on Thursday.

Any more crude replies from Umno or Najib?

The 64-year-old Anwar has tried many times to get Najib into public debates over the economy and state of the nation but to no avail.

Perhaps in the belief that Najib lacked the skills to match Anwar, a gifted orator, the Malaysian PM himself and various other Umno leaders including former premier Mahathir Mohamad have always countered the invitation by insisting Anwar had no right to such a debate.

Last month, after Najib gave a speech lauding a key debate between DAP's Lim Guan Eng and MCA president Chua Soi Lek, Anwar's PKR party sent a formal invitation to Najib.

It was met with a crude reply from Umno sec-gen Tengku Adnan, who told Anwar to debate Saiful Bukhari Azlan instead. Saiful is the complainant in the Sodomy II trial from which Anwar has been acquitted. The opposition leader has accused Najib and wife Rosmah of framing him to derail his political comeback.

Height of cowardice

It looks like the conniving at Umno has not stopped despite Najib's grand speeches and promises of greater democracy. According to PKR leaders, this was evident in the way Najib used Raja Petra Kamaruddin - a PKR turncoat and now pro-Umno blogger - to try and get Najib off the debate hook.

A recent survey found that 54 per cent of voters in Peninsular Malaysia want to see regular debates between Najib and Anwar, with over three-quarters of young Malays backing a debate between the Umno-led Barisan Nasional and Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat.

"Obviously it is unfair for Anwar. We all know where RPK stands but the boss has said he is not worried. Anwar has said he is not afraid. If Anwar has the courage to face the two of them at one go, it only shows how cowardly Najib is. There is no way Najib can escape now. It would be a total disgrace if Najib declines even with RPK holding his nappy for him," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

According to WikiLeaks website, it has extended an invitation to Najib to debate with Anwar and RPK jointly or in isolation.

“We have formally invited Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss the future of Malaysia together with Mr Ibrahim, moderated by Mr Assange. If accepted, the filmed discussion will be seen by up to 600 million people and will be available online,” it said.

Najib and wife Rosmah are known for their love of publicity, but the sheer size of the potential TV audience might be a bit daunting. Najib is also known to be a slow thinker, who relies on speechwriters. Hence, the need for a crutch in the form of RPK, who has been attacking Anwar ever since he fled to London to avoid imprisonment over defamation charges.

Malaysia Chronicle