GEORGE TOWN, June 23 ― Penang executive councillor Lim Hock Seng and Gerakan's Liang Teck Meng will publicly debate the state’s controversial undersea tunnel project on June 28.
The Penang chief minister's political secretary, Wong Hon Wai, said he has booked the ballroom at the Caring Society Complex for the event at 8pm that day.
“Liang's assistant called me to inform me about his preferences on the debate and I am still in communications with them to finalise the details for the debate,” he told a press conference today.
The debate will be conducted in Malay and Wong has already submitted the name of the moderator to Liang.
“We are now waiting for their confirmation on the time and moderator,” he said.
Last week, the Gerakan secretary-general challenged Lim to a public debate on the proposed RM6.3 billion project for the undersea tunnel and three paired roads.
This was after Lim refused to attend a debate with Penang Gerakan Youth's acting chief, Jason Loo, two weeks ago.
Lim initially also rejected Liang's challenge to a debate, claiming he did not know who the latter was.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Hock Seng finally agreed to the debate after he told him that Liang is the Simpang Renggam MP and Gerakan secretary-general.
“Hock Seng will not run away from this debate or go overseas, unlike Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan,” Guan Eng said.
Penang Gerakan has raised numerous questions regarding the undersea tunnel project including the costs of the feasibility study and its design details.
Today, Penang Gerakan again demanded to know if the feasibility study and design works for the project actually cost RM90 million, a figure they took from the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited's website, instead of the RM305 million revealed by the state.
When asked to respond, both Hock Seng and Guan Eng said all questions on the undersea tunnel will be addressed during the debate next week.
