KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — DAP’s Lim Guan Eng dared Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to accept Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s challenge to a debate, saying the prime minister should face his harshest critic like a “gladiator in an arena”.

The Penang chief minister said instead of responding in a “sterile and laboratory type of environment” via the frequently asked questions section in his blog, the prime minister should face Dr Mahathir in “real life”.

“Go and face Mahathir like a gladiator in an arena and then let the people decide. We can see the cut and thrust of the debate.

“Don’t do it in a simulation type of environment go into a real life environment.

“Battle it out man-to-man with Dr Mahathir,” he told reporters at the soft launch of the Penang Institute office in KL.

Over the weekend, Dr Mahathir said he would like to debate Najib over the debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which has reportedly amassed over RM42 billion debt.

The former prime minister had cited his dissatisfaction with how the government is dealing with the 1MDB fiasco as the primary reason behind his push for his successor’s resignation.

Today, Lim said Dr Mahathir was trying to be "mischievous" in calling for his resignation as Penang chief minister along with Najib, saying that the antagonism between the state and federal governments has affected the country.

He added that he did not want to get "drawn in the battle between him and Najib", referring to the ongoing tussle between Dr Mahathir and the prime minister.

"We just want to see who comes up with the strongest point but even though I disagree with his attacks against me, I definitely feel Najib should respond to Mahathir's challenge for a debate.

"This is between a former and the present prime minister, one who has no more higher aspiration for the prime minister's post, so he has no axe to grind, except to bring down Najib," the Bagan MP said, referring to Dr Mahathir.