This was after Lim turned down Wee’s challenge to debate on the Penang undersea tunnel, insisting that he would only have a debate with someone of the same stature, such as MCA president Liow Tiong Lai.
In response, Wee listed out the occasions when the chief minister had called for a debate with those whom Wee said were not equal in rank with the DAP secretary-general.
In a Facebook Live video today, Wee listed out four such cases and the people that Lim had challenged:
* The then Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop in 2011 on the concession extension for the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway;
* The then inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar in 2014 on the outlawed Penang Voluntary Unit or PPS issue;
* Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan in 2016 over the Taman Manggis land sale; and,
* Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor last year to debate on a proposal to make Penang a federal territory.
“Lim chose to be arrogant and to ignore me, even dared to claim that I cannot debate him because I am lower in rank when compared with him.
“Is your rank only high enough to debate senior civil servants? Do I not merit the same courtesy as those people whom he had previously challenged?
“I lead the MCA as the deputy president and as a member of the federal cabinet.
“Are you insinuating that my post ranks lower than any of those you have challenged before? Or is it because I am Chinese?
“Or is it because you think the Chinese will always support DAP, hence it excuses you from explaining anything to them?”
Recently, Lim said it was only fitting for him to debate Liow instead of Wee, who had issued the challenge, based on the “principle of political protocol”.
Wee said if Lim could debate Nor, who is former Kepala Batas MP, Lim could debate with him, too.
“I am also a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, just like Nor. Obviously, Lim is hiding something and has no guts to accept my challenge.”
Lim has yet to respond to FMT’s request for comments.
Guan Eng tells Wee: I’ll only debate with MCA president Liow