Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (above, left) has rebuffed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan (above, right) attempt to influence the Penang undersea tunnel project debate.

Guan Eng said Rahman's attempt to goad his father Lim Kit Siang into debating MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong was demeaning to the number one post of both MCA and DAP.

"It is typical for Rahman to try to draw in my father to try and hide the cowardice of MCA president Liow Tiong Lai who does not have guts like his predecessor Chua Soi Lek to have a public debate with me on both the 1MDB scandal and the tunnel issue.

"We will not allow Rahman to demean the position of the MCA president and the DAP secretary-general just because Liow does not have the guts to debate with me," Guan Eng said in a statement today.

Wee is scheduled to hold a forum on the Penang undersea tunnel project at Lim's parliamentary seat of Bagan in Penang on Friday evening.

Guan Eng has dismissed Wee's repeated challenge to debate on the grounds that the latter is not of equal rank with him insisting and that he wants to debate Liow instead.

Rahman yesterday said that if Guan Eng was afraid to debate Wee, then Kit Siang should do so instead.

Guan Eng also said that Rahman was unqualified to weigh in on the matter due to his own cowardice.

Debate aborted

"Rahman is unqualified to talk about me debating Wee instead of Liow Tong Lai when Rahman literally chickened out of his own challenge to debate me.

"Rahman had to rely on so-called legal advice from the authorities to bail him out of a televised debate arranged by Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak," he said.

The DAP secretary-general was referring to a cancelled 2016 debate over alleged improprieties involving the Penang government’s sale of land in Taman Manggis.

The debate was aborted after then Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the debate would be "prejudicial to witnesses and the (police) case".

Meanwhile, Guan Eng said Rahman should also provide points to Liow to prepare him for the debate on the undersea tunnel.

He said the Umno minister could help Liow explain how land for the Tun Razak Exchange was sold by the federal government to 1MDB at below market value.