PKR Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has challenged Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin to debate her alleged failure to solve the constituency’s livelihood problems on Feb 24.
“I believe that, since he is confident of his chances in Lembah Pantai, this debate challenge will be easily and willingly accepted by him.”
“Let us give the people an opportunity to listen to what both of us have to say,” Nurul Izzah toldMalaysiakini today.
She also expressed disappointment over the fact that the mainstream media gave “special coverage” to Raja Nong Chik (left), but had not done the same for the opposition.
“(The mainstream media) did not report the activities of the opposition, which won 10 out of 11 of the total seats in Federal Territories, Kuala Lumpur,” she lamented in a press conference at PKR headquarters.
Yesterday, Raja Nong Chik slammed Nurul Izzah, saying she only “knew how to criticise” and challenged her to solve the voters’ livelihood problems.
For example, he added, he had managed to find people to repaint apartments in the locality.
Asked whether he feared facing the first-time MP in the coming election, the Lembah Pantai Umno chief brushed aside the question.
“Whoever Nurul Izzah or Anwar Ibrahim are, I am not worried!” Raja Nong Chik laughed, adding that the BN machinery was ready for the election.
Raja Nong Chik also said that his winning chance would not be affected by former minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (right) family members’ National Feedlot Cooperation (NFC) scandal.
Shahrizat was a three-term MP for Lembah Pantai before he had been defeated by Nurul Izzah in the 2008 election.
Although he had distanced himself from Shahrizat, Nurul Izzah said that Raja Nong Chik did not explain the culture of Umno’s patronage and cronyism.
“He (Raja Nong Chik) did not even explain about his daughter’s company, Istijuara Sdn Bhd, who received a direct tender award worth RM 30 million (from the Youth and Sports Ministry).”
However, Raja Nong Chik said that there is no conflict of interestwhich would occur in the project without further elaborating on whether he was abusing his power to help the company.
The deal for project, he added, had been done before he became a minister.
“I (have) no need (to talk about it). It happened in 2006. At that time, I was a businessman for 25 years. Can’t I do business during that time?” he asked.
“The contract was sealed in 2010 at the same time as the building was completed. That’s it. If (you) don’t (like it), close down all of my family business. But I think it’s not appropriate right? There is no conflict of interest,” he added.
BERNAMA
