KUANTAN: A debate among the candidates of Indera Mahkota is now unlikely after another candidate said he is not interested.
Parti Pejuang Tanah Air candidate Dr Mohamad Nor Sundari said, when contacted, that he had no wish to take part in any such debate.
This was after Barisan Nasional's Datuk Quek Tai Seong and Pakatan Harapan's Zuraidi Ismail also declined to participate in a debate.
Quek said his time was better spent meeting with voters while Zuraidi reportedly said such debates were better left to senior leaders.
Perikatan Nasional candidate Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah had earlier expressed interest in debating his opponents in the Indera Mahkota parliamentary seat.
When asked on Wednesday (Nov 9) whether he would still push for a debate, Saifuddin simply said, "I am game".
"A debate will be good and will elevate the discourse to a higher level. We should have more debates, not just here but at the national level.
"Let voters see for themselves the kind of candidates they are voting for.
"Anyone can come up with a manifesto but if there is a debate, candidates can challenge each other's manifestos. We must be prepared for our manifesto to be taken apart or, in the spirit of a healthy debate, we can acknowledge an opponent's valid ideas.
"It's not a debate competition, just a discourse," said Saifuddin.
Dr Mohamad Nor, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, is from Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) but is contesting under the Pejuang logo in the 15th General Election.
