KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak offered a smile but stayed mum today when asked if he would engage in a direct debate with former leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has been a vocal critic of his debt-riddled brainchild, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Najib was doorstopped by reporters and quizzed on the possibility of debating the former prime minister as he was leaving the launch of Secretariat for the Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME), a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Under the escort of security guards, he made his exit in his car as a lion dance troupe was playing.

About 20 policemen were spotted at today’s launch.

Earlier today, Najib had failed to turn up at the highly-anticipated “Nothing2Hide” forum on 1MDB, with his office later explaining that his absence was due to the police’s advice and instructions over security concerns.

In a post on his blog today, Najib reaffirmed his commitment to engage in dialogue with non-government organisations in a calm condition.

“I am always ready and committed to meet and dialogue with non-government organisations to speak on matters related to the country and the community.

“However, the meeting and dialogue should take place in a calm and good manner so that it will lead to a beneficial discussion for all.

“If we are sincere and open, meetings and dialogues can lead to a common good,” he wrote in a brief two-paragraph post in Malay.

Despite the “Nothing2Hide” forum organiser’s confirmation yesterday that Najib would attend, he did not appear. Dr Mahathir appeared at the forum but was stopped midway through his speech on the 1MDB scandal by the police.

Critics have condemned the police for disrupting and cancelling the event, saying that the authorities were aiming to silence public discussions on government scandals and literally save Najib from a humiliating confrontation with Dr Mahathir over the 1MDB issue.

But SukaGuam’s president Datuk Khairul Anwar Rahmat said the police ordered the event cancelled due to the group’s inability to handle the large number of attendees, while the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar denied this afternoon that the cancellation was politically motivated.

The IGP said police had received information at the eleventh hour that “two antagonistic camps” were planning to cause trouble, adding that the threat was serious enough to merit the cancellation.