Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed has expressed disagreement with the planned debate between BN communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Nur Jazlan believes the debate would interrupt the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations into the Taman Manggis land and Pinhorn Road bungalow issues.

"Surely it will interrupt the investigations. Let the authorities solve the issues via investigations, don’t politicise it," he told reporters in Putrajaya today.

Nur Jazlan said the debate might cause people to lose trust in the investigations, similar to what happened with 1MDB.

Therefore, he added, there should be no trial by media.

Rahman has challenged Lim to debate on the Taman Manggis land and the bungalow that the chief minister is accused of buying at below the market rate. Lim has accepted the challenge.

However, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and the MACC special committee on corruption have objected to the debate and called for its cancellation.

Two locking horns on a daily basis

Both Lim and Rahman are adamant about pursuing the showdown.

The two have been locking horns, almost on a daily basis through the media, since news of Lim’s purchase of the bungalow surfaced.

The debate then shifted to the Taman Manggis land.

The contention here is over the alleged sale of a plot on Taman Manggis to the Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC).

Rahman, who is urban well-being, housing and local government minister, alleged that KLIDC has changed hands while the chief minister argued that this is not true.

To questions on another matter, Nur Jazlan ( photo ) refused to evaluate the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB, which was tabled in Parliament on April 7.

“Not fair of me to give marks because I wasn’t involved in the subsequent PAC meetings.”

Nur Jazlan said it would not be fair to compare his performance as PAC chairperson with that of his successor.

“It is not fair to differentiate between the previous and current PAC members.

“The most important thing is that the report has been tabled in Parliament. This means that the PAC meeting’s integrity has been preserved.”

Nur Jazlan headed the PAC investigation into 1MDB before being promoted as deputy home minister in July 2015. He was succeeded by Rompin MP Hasan Ariffin.

Nur Jazlan’s transfer was viewed as a move to subvert the investigations into the scandal-hit 1MDB.