Cancellation ‘an excuse’ for Rahman to avoid debate

KUALA LUMPUR: The DAP has dismissed the cancellation of a planned live television debate between Umno’s Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng as an exit strategy for Abdul Rahman.
DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said Abdul Rahman was giving an excuse when he said that as a Cabinet minister he could not disobey an order from the Inspector General of Police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
It was just an “exit strategy” for him to avoid the debate and provide no room for Lim to respond and answer Abdul Rahman”s “wild accusations”, said Loke. He said Lim had been denied an opportunity to defend himself through the mainstream media.
He also dismissed TV3’s explanation that it would respect the views of the Inspector General of Police and MACC investigations director that the debate might prejudice investigations into the Penang state government’s sale of state land at Taman Manggis in 2012 for a hospital cum hotel project.
The Taman Manggis sale, said to have been below market value, has been linked to Lim’s purchase of a RM2.6 million bungalow in George Town, Penang, also in 2012, from a woman later revealed to be a former employee and current business partner of the owner of the company that bought the Taman Manggis land.
Loke questioned Abdul Rahman’s previous appearance on TV3’s Soal Jawab programme when he made accusations against Lim. Loke said there had been biased reports about the issue on TV3’s prime news slot, Buletin Utama, almost every night, and questioned if these were also not prejudicial to the investigation.
TV3 is part of the Umno-controlled Media Prima media group which includes the New Straits Times and Berita Harian.
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