Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), along with several other NGOs and student groups, will be hosting a debate on the pros and cons of the Save Malaysia initiative.
The debate, which will be titled ‘Declaration - Whither Rakyat?’, will examine the question of the benefits of the Citizens’ Declaration.
“SAMM believes that a mature debate that goes both ways will be able to produce more ideas in finding the best way to save the country, instead of forums which are biased and only show one side of the story,” SAMM debate programme director Edy Noor Reduan said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
The debate will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) at 8pm on May 16.
Debating for the Citizens’ Declaration will be former Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, former Umno Batu Kawan division vice-chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.
On the other side of the debate, arguing against the declaration will be SAMM chief coordinator Badrul Hisham Shaharin, former PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan and lawyer-activist Haris Ibrahim.
The debate is open to the public regardless of party allegiance, he added, and he hopes the people will see this debate as a positive step in finding the optimum solution to save the country.
The declaration spearheaded by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad witnessed his former political foes and civil society leaders critical of his rule joining hands with the aim of removing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
However, some have criticised this alliance, due to the involvement of Mahathir and that he only seeks to replace one Umno prime minister with another.
Najib’s camp, however, has accused the former premier of initiating the campaign with the aim of engineering the political ascension of his son Mukhriz.
Mukhriz, the former Kedah menteri besar besar, has denied this and filed a defamation suit against the prime minister’s press aide Tengku Shariffuddin Tengku Ahmad for making the claim. -Mkini
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