Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani today claimed the planned debate between Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has "nothing to do" with the government.

Asked whether he was agreeable to the two debating on issues including 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which falls under the Finance Ministry, Johari pointed out that the matter had purportedly already been “debated extensively in Parliament”.

“The report that (was) prepared by the auditor-general, (the) public accounts committee (PAC), have been deliberated extensively in Parliament, all questions have been answered in Parliament.

“So if both of these characters want to do this debate, it’s beyond me.

"That’s already personal and individual, (it) has got nothing to do with the government,” Johari told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Despite Johari's claim the 1MDB matter had been debated extensively in Parliament, the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB is still classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

In addition, parliamentary speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia during last year’s Dewan session issued a gag order on debating in Parliament the ongoing lawsuit by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) suits to seize assets the Americans claim had been siphoned from 1MDB.

Late last year, Johari’s predecessor, former finance minister II Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, former deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin and former rural and regional development minister Shafie Apdal were investigated after Pandikar said their speeches in Parliament on 1MDB had breached the oath of secrecy they had taken as cabinet ministers.

The debate between Mahathir and Nazri arose from an earlier challenge for the two to contest in Padang Rengas and Langkawi respectively in the upcoming general election.

Mahathir later said he had no intention of contesting in the general election, and challenged Nazri to a debate instead.

Nazri accepted the debate unconditionally and said yesterday stressed nothing will make him back out of the debate with Mahathir.