Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has shot down suggestions that public debates were not part of Malaysian culture, pointing to the one between opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Najib Abdul Razak in May.

This came after caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob gave such a reason when rejecting a debate challenge by Anwar.

Syed Saddiq said public debates were a healthy practice because...