Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz has extinguished hope for the highly-anticipated debate between him and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"It's over already. (It's) all cleared already what. Anything, you better ask the police first.

"No point we plan (the debate) if the police already premeditated that they do not want to allow it," Nazri told reporters after attending the Bangladeshi opening ceremony of the 'Pohela Baishakh' festival in Kuala Lumpur today...