Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said nothing will make him back out of the debate with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Nazri said he would not budge even if he was in a similar scenario as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who previously had to cancel his highly-anticipated debate with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

"Why should I? I am Nazri Aziz, you should know me better, I am not Rahman Dahlan," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Last April, Abdul Rahman called off his debate with Lim on the Taman Manggis land issue on the advice of the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as the matter was under investigation.

Abdul Rahman was the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister at that time. The debate was to be broadcast on TV3.

Nazri said the only way his debate will be cancelled was if Mahathir backed out.