PKR Youth claims sent debate challenge first
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
PETALING JAYA, Jan 16 — PKR Youth today demanded that its Umno counterpart respond to challenge to debate on Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s proposed 100-day reforms.
PKR Youth Chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said an official letter for the debate challenge had been sent to the Umno Youth office on January 12, a day before Umno wing challenged Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to a similar debate with Khairy Jamaluddin.
“We have already sent the letter on January 12 to the Pemuda Umno office... but so far there has been no response from Umno Youth to debate on Pakatan’s reform plans.
“We want to explain our policies, what we are doing is not for personal glory... essentially it’s between Umno Youth and PKR Youth, no one else,” said Shamsul today.
Challenges for debates have been hurled from both sides of the political divide, after Anwar dared Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last week to debate PR’s electoral promises.
Anwar made the challenge after the prime minister scoffed at PR’s 100-day programme, deriding it as “too good to be true” and claiming that they would bankrupt the country.
Najib has dodged the challenge by saying that voters did not need such an exercise to decide which coalition should be in power.
Khairy later rushed to Najib’s defence, and had called on Anwar to hold a debate with him instead of the prime minister, claiming that the opposition leader “is not up to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s level.”
Today, Shamsul said PKR’s strategy chief, Rafizi Ramli, had been selected to debate Khairy on the matter.
“The debate issue is a serious one... if Umno Youth does not answer, PKR Youth will consider it a sign that there is no one within Umno Youth prepared to debate with us (on our policies),” Shamsul added.
Separately, the PKR Youth chief said that the wing will be sending a team to see Abdullah Hussein, the author of the novel “Interlok” to discuss the issues concerning the book.
“Interlok” made headlines in recent days after it was deemed by the Indian community to be racially offensive. It had earlier been selected as a reading text for SPM-level Bahasa Malaysia literature.
Today, PKR deputy Youth chief Khairul Anuar said that critics should read the novel in its entirety before “attacking” its contents.
“I urge everyone... please read Interlok first before passing comments... do no base your comments on what other people have said about the book,” said Khairul.
PETALING JAYA, Jan 16 — PKR Youth today demanded that its Umno counterpart respond to challenge to debate on Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s proposed 100-day reforms.
PKR Youth Chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said an official letter for the debate challenge had been sent to the Umno Youth office on January 12, a day before Umno wing challenged Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to a similar debate with Khairy Jamaluddin.
“We have already sent the letter on January 12 to the Pemuda Umno office... but so far there has been no response from Umno Youth to debate on Pakatan’s reform plans.
“We want to explain our policies, what we are doing is not for personal glory... essentially it’s between Umno Youth and PKR Youth, no one else,” said Shamsul today.
Challenges for debates have been hurled from both sides of the political divide, after Anwar dared Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last week to debate PR’s electoral promises.
Anwar made the challenge after the prime minister scoffed at PR’s 100-day programme, deriding it as “too good to be true” and claiming that they would bankrupt the country.
Najib has dodged the challenge by saying that voters did not need such an exercise to decide which coalition should be in power.
Khairy later rushed to Najib’s defence, and had called on Anwar to hold a debate with him instead of the prime minister, claiming that the opposition leader “is not up to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s level.”
Today, Shamsul said PKR’s strategy chief, Rafizi Ramli, had been selected to debate Khairy on the matter.
“The debate issue is a serious one... if Umno Youth does not answer, PKR Youth will consider it a sign that there is no one within Umno Youth prepared to debate with us (on our policies),” Shamsul added.
Separately, the PKR Youth chief said that the wing will be sending a team to see Abdullah Hussein, the author of the novel “Interlok” to discuss the issues concerning the book.
“Interlok” made headlines in recent days after it was deemed by the Indian community to be racially offensive. It had earlier been selected as a reading text for SPM-level Bahasa Malaysia literature.
Today, PKR deputy Youth chief Khairul Anuar said that critics should read the novel in its entirety before “attacking” its contents.
“I urge everyone... please read Interlok first before passing comments... do no base your comments on what other people have said about the book,” said Khairul.
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