The much anticipated debate between Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz and Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang on the Internal Security Act has been fixed for July 26.

In a press statement today, DAP Youth national secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the debate will be held at 8.30pm at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur.

Loke, who helms the debate's organising committee, said Dang Wangi district police chief Hadi Ho Abdullah has issued a police permit.

However, he said the permit stated that the scheduled question and answer session will not be allowed.

Asked if the organising committee agreed to this, Loke said they had requested for at least written questions to be allowed but the police had rejected this as well.

The debate was originally scheduled to be held on July 12 but it was called off after the police had initially refused to grant them a permit on security grounds.

However at the eleventh hour, the debate was given the green light but Nazri could not make it due to another appointment.

The minister has agreed to lock horns with Lim, who is also DAP chairperson and two-time ISA detainee, on the new date.

During the May 17 - June 14 Parliamentary sitting, Lim invited Nazri, who oversees parliamentary affairs, to debate on the controversial security law and the latter agreed.

Permit important

Meanwhile, Loke said the minister will kick off the debate and be followed by Lim. Both of them will be given 45 minutes to argue their case.

He said the committee has yet to decide on the subsequent programme since the initially planned question and answer session would not take place.

According to Loke, the venue can accommodate 1,000 people and the committee will send out 800 invitations to both DAP and Umno members.

The remaining places will be reserved for representatives from non-governmental organisations, political parties, academicians and the media.

The moderator is Transparency International Malaysia president Tunku Abdul Aziz.

Responding to criticism from several quarters on the need to obtain a police permit, Loke said the permit was important.

"Would you think Nazri as a minister will come to a function with no permit?" he asked, adding that the public would also be apprehensive of attending an illegal event.

The ISA, which was originally drafted to battle the communist insurgency, later earned notoriety when it was used to crackdown on opposition leaders and activists.

Detainees are held for a period of two years without trial on the orders of the internal security minister, which upon expiry can be extended indefinitely.