Adnan: If Opposition wants debates, Barisan is ready

PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional is ready to take on the Opposition in debates at any time, its secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

He said it was “healthy” for the country to have debates such as Saturday’s face-off between MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

“The purpose is not to see who wins or loses,” he said.

“It is a good opportunity for the people to see what either side has to offer. At least, the people now realise what MCA has done for them in the past.

“They were always rubbished by the Opposition,” he said after handing out Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia aid to about 1,600 people yesterday.

Tengku Adnan, who is also Umno secretary-general, said Barisan would have a clearer picture of its seat allocation for the general election by the end of this month.

He said Barisan president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were scheduled to visit five more states to get input on preferred seats.

The five that have yet to present their proposals are Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak.

“There is no decision yet. It (seat negotiations) was only mentioned in passing at the last supreme council meeting,” said Tengku Adnan.

He also said Barisan was confident that it had regained the support of Malaysians, including the Chinese.

This, he said, was evident from the recent 15,000-strong turnout at a function with Muhyiddin in Jinjang last Friday.