KUALA LUMPUR: Saying he was not afraid to engage in a debate, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P Ramasamy however said he would only do so with controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik after the latter clears his name in the Indian courts.
This was in response to a proposal put forth by Perlis mufti Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin for Ramasamy and Zakir to have an open debate on the topic of 'who is the real terrorist?'.
""I'm a Malaysian citizen, I am not afraid to debate.
"But I want Zakir Naik to go back to India voluntarily, face the charges and clear his name first," Ramasamy was quoted as saying by newsportal Malaysiakini last night.
In a Facebook post, Dr Mohd Asri had called for the debate in the spirit of a 'New Malaysia' that he said was more open and transparent in making matured and intellectual judgments.
"There should also be room for the media to air it live. Let the rakyat be the witness to this polemic," he had said.
"Based on their demands, I suggest that whoever loses in the debate, maybe they can be sent back to India as per their wishes. One of them will be sent back there," he added.
Calling the debate challenge as an attempt to sidestep the issue of the Indian government calling for Malaysia to extradite the preacher, Ramasamy said that should be addressed first.
Ramasamy said he did not have anything personal against Zakir.
"...but there are serious claims against him and India has filed charges against him. There are no charges against me for being involved in any terrorist movement, but I am involved in many peace talks, so how come I am accused of supporting the gun movement?" Ramasamy was quoted as saying.
He was referring to a previous Facebook post by Dr Mohd Asri, who had urged for Ramasamy to be investigated for alleged ties to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.
"The whole idea is to side-step the real issue that Naik is facing criminal charges in India," Ramasamy added, referring to Dr Mohd Asri's debate idea.