Speaking at a press conference here today, Pua said the proposed debate between him and 1MDB president Arul Kanda was in the interest of all Malaysians, thus such an event for the good of the people would be impossible to achieve without a live telecast.

“Who is this debate for? Debate with who? Do it to ‘syok sendiri’? If nobody wants to air a live telecast of the debate then it is no use. It must be live.”

Following Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak’s refusal to have the debate aired on RTM, Pua suggested other broadcasters step forward instead.

“Come, whoever wants to offer (to air the live debate), TV3, Astro or even Bloomberg, but we have to discuss with 1MDB beforehand,” he added.

Pua had announced in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that Arul had accepted his offer to debate, with the latter naming 1MDB head of communications Robert Ho to lead discussions with opposition representatives on the format and structure.

Salleh responded to Pua’s request for a live telecast, saying that RTM is no longer interested in hosting the event, citing the fact that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had already tabled its report on 1MDB in the Dewan Rakyat as a reason.

Pua expressed disappointment with Salleh’s response and said that the excuse provided did not make any sense as the debate is crucial in allowing the public to decide on who is telling the truth, and who is not.

“Is RTM not interested in hosting the debate now because 1MDB has been proven to be lying to Malaysians for the past few years?

“The excuse provided by the minister does not make any sense. Now that the PAC report on 1MDB has been tabled in Parliament, it is all the more important for the findings to be debated.

“This is especially since all the Cabinet members claimed that the PAC report had apparently cleared the Prime Minister and 1MDB of wrongdoing,” added Pua, who is also a member of the PAC.