Debate: Mayhem in the media room

The historic live debate between a government minister and an opposition stalwart might have been a civil affair but things however got a little rowdy in the media room.

The event at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka building in Kuala Lumpur tonight was marred by punches, kicks and a broken camera.

The situation got out of hand when overzealous marshals attempted to stop the photographers seeking to leave the media room located above the hall right after the debate.

The marshals had attempted to stop the photographers and camera persons from getting out until the speakers and other VIPs had left the hall.

When the Edge Financial Daily executive producer Othman Abu Bakar got as far as to the staircase, one of the marshals stuck out a leg causing him to trip and fall.

According to Channel News Asia cameraman Hanafiah Hamzah, one of the marshals allegedly punched Othman when he picked himself up.

The ensuing melee resulted in Othman's camera being broken while two more photographers from Berita Harian and The Sun were punched and kicked.

"This happened right in front of the police who came to escort us down," said Hanafiah.

Hanafiah, Zulkifli Ersal ( The Sun ), Khairul Hasnor Mohamad Khalili ( The Edge ), Halim Barbar ( Sipa Press ) subsequently made a police report regarding the assault at the Dang Wangi police station at about 12 midnight.

The debate

As for the debate itself, it was not quite a walkover by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Shabery, who is younger by 11 years, managed to hold his ground against the 61-year-old seasoned politician known for his fiery oratory skills.

Looking sharp in an all-black suit with gold buttons, the minister cut a picture of confidence as he fielded questions from the former deputy premier and the panel.

However, many felt Anwar emerged victorious in the debate while others pointed out that the duo had merely skimmed the surface of such a complex subject within the allocated one hour.

While Anwar stuck to his guns by promising immediate slashing of the fuel price by 50 sen and the failure of the Barisan Nasional government to address leakages and corruption, Shabery defended the hike with the "world phenomenon" argument.

At times, Shabery even resorted to personal attacks, recounting the days when Anwar was in government.

The Terengganu-born minister used up precious minutes in the hour-long debate to question Anwar's record as finance minister, especially the lopsided independent power producer (IPP) agreements and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis during his watch.

One particular failure of the minister was his inability to answer Anwar's appointed panelist, Siasah editor Zukifli Sulong's question on why the government has not improved public transportation after the 2006 petrol hike as promised.

Malaysians ultimate winners

But Anwar himself also fell a bit short in some areas.

His main point of re-negotiating IPP agreements to recover RM2 billion and to use that to subsidise fuel cannot be considered as a long-term solution.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad, who was part of the audience, questioned the argument.

"Even if the IPP agreements were re-negotiated, the additional income is Tenaga Nasional Bhd's, not the government's," he said after the debate.

"It still doesn't solve the issue of higher fuel prices and the higher subsidies which the government has to bear," he added.

Despite their different political affiliations, both debaters behaved well, though the same could not be said about their respective supporters in the hall, who shouted and booed during the debate.

However, outside Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, some 200 PKR supporters kept their cool under the watchful eyes of police personnel.

There may have been no winners tonight but there were 25 million Malaysians who no doubt would have taken a liking to a new phenomenon - live political debates on TV.

Watch a 55-min video of Anwar vs Shabery

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