After debate snub, BN man reminds Pua of alleged RM100k loan

The duel between BN's Eric See-To and DAP lawmaker Tony Pua has taken a "personal" twist, with the former claiming that he had given the latter a loan of  RM100,000, some 12 years ago. 

See-To wrote this on his Facebook page, in response to the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, earlier today shooting down a debate dare by the BN strategic communications deputy director, saying that See-To was a "nobody". 

According to See-to, he and Pua had known each other for the last 15 years, when they both ran their respective IT companies and did business with each other and worked on joint projects. 

"Since he listed his company amidst the dot-com rush in 2001, Tony Pua's Cybervillage had straight six years of continued losses from 2002 to 2007, until Tony Pua left the company and joined DAP. 

"When his company got into some cash-flow issues in 2005 or 2006, before he went into politics, he called me for a loan for (sic) RM100k, and within hours, it was this 'nobody' who gave it to him which he then gave me this IOU letter," wrote See-to, referring to the acronym of a letter of acknowledgment of debt, purportedly signed by Pua, which he had attached to the Facebook post. 

See-to further wrote that despite their political differences, he was one of the first to congratulate Pua when the latter was elected MP in 2008. Later, he also helped out by arranging fund-raising golf tournaments, he added. 

"But I guess now he is a high-flying Member of Parliament, he can dismiss me as a nobody and no longer considers me as a friend.

"Times have changed, I guess you need to be at least a deputy minister these days before Tony Pua will layan you," See-to said, adding he was compelled to reveal the IOU since Pua had fired the first shot. 

"YB Tony, you truly disappoint me. I guess fame and power has ubah (changed) you now," he said, playing on DAP's motto. 

When contacted, Pua told Malaysiakini that he would "respond in time."

See-to then claimed that DAP always shies away from debating about the tunnel project in Penang, as if "there is something big to hide". 

He then urged Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli to advise his Pakatan Harapan colleague Pua to "be brave" and accept the debate challenge. 

Earlier today, Pua had told Malaysiakini that he had no qualms participating in a debate on the Penang undersea tunnel, but said it had to be with BN strategic communications director and minister, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, and not a "nobody" like See-to. 

“What nonsense! Who is he? He is not even an MP or deputy minister. Why should I debate a nobody?

“I will agree to debate both the tunnel project and 1MDB issues but only with his boss Abdul Rahman,” Pua had said when See-to roped him in when accepting PKR vice-president Rafizi's challenge to debate on tax collections.

The BN man said he was willing to debate Rafizi on one condition, which is for the latter to convince Pua to take up See-To's challenge to lock horns over the tunnel project.- Mkini