Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he was willing to challenge Umno ministers to a debate on issues because he respected the ruling party.

He added that although DAP may be at war with Umno, the party is respected because it holds the majority of seats in Parliament.

"MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong should know the difference between Umno and MCA as the Malay party has 89 parliamentary seats, while the latter has only seven.

"If Umno wants to take away any seats from MCA, for example in Bandar Tun Razak, what can MCA do?" Lim asked.

"Who are you, MCA? We respect Umno because it is the ruling party, where the two top leaders are the prime minister and deputy prime minister, ranked higher than the CM."

Lim was responding to Wee asking yesterday why the DAP secretary-general can challenge Umno ministers but not those from MCA.

In a statement yesterday, Wee furnished a list of people whom Lim had challenged to a debate in the past, which included former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

"Is your rank high enough to debate senior civil servants?" Wee had asked Lim sarcastically.

His remarks followed Lim's refusal to debate Wee, saying he was merely the number two man in MCA, adding that he (Lim) preferred to debate with party president Liow Tiong Lai (photo). 

"If he (Wee) thinks he is number one in the party, he better start contesting for the post, but he is not," was Lim's equally sarcastic reply to the minister in the prime minister's department.

At a press conference in Komtar today, the CM said the challenge to debate Umno's number one and two is for Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as the Pakatan Harapan chairperson.

"Should I challenge Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak? That would be not respecting protocol.

"Wee may not have ethics in politics, but please respect our position, if I accept to challenge the number two leader in a party with seven seats, I will not be respecting my own post," he added.

"Still, we are willing to help increase awareness on the tunnel issue by debating Liow, but don't force me to lower my post to debate the number two in the party with seven seats. Everyone understands this, except MCA."

Lim and Wee had traded barbs over the Penang undersea tunnel since early this year, while the project is the subject of a probe by the MACC.

The graft-buster had questioned about 100 people, and nabbed five high-ranking officials involved in the tunnel project.