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Published: Thursday September 13, 2012 MYT 1:02:00 AM
Updated: Thursday September 13, 2012 MYT 1:23:57 AM

S'gor MB no show at Chua's debate, Pakatan entourage stages walkout

By SIRA HABIBU


Suspected troublemakers with weapons detained

KUALA LUMPUR: The presence of suspected troublemakers armed with concealed weapons did not stop Datuk Chua Tee Yong from going ahead with holding a debate on the Talamgate controversy.

Police had found four youths behaving suspiciously outside the debate venue at the International Youth Centre at Bandar Tun Razak here Wednesday night.

Cheras OCPD ACP Mohan Singh said they found two retractable rods, a knife and a large bangle on the youths.

They were arrested shortly after the Pakatan Rakyat entourage staged a walkout minutes before the start of the debate.

Chua, the MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief, said even before the debate began, banners highlighting the event between him and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim were slit, splashed with paint and brought down.

The seat reserved for Khalid was empty as the Selangor MB did not turn up for the debate. The seat reserved for Khalid was empty as the Selangor MB did not turn up for the debate.

He added Khalid's absence at the debate was anticipated as the latter had not been able to give straightforward answers to the questions raised over the questionable debt-recovering exercise involving Talam Corporation Bhd.

"And he conveniently escaped to Thailand to avoid a showdown," said Chua, who initiated the event.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the Pakatan team had walked out in protest, pointing out that Chua had not wanted to debate with them, on behalf of Khalid.

Khalid had appointed Batu MP Tian Chua, his political secretary Faekah Hussin, Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Selayang MP William Leong as his spokesmen to counter the Talam issues.

Chua had said Khalid was the best person to debate with on the matter as he had all the details.

At the unilateral debate, Chua highlighted the questionable deals where the Selangor government had agreed to acquire a range of Talam properties, said to be over-valued by RM397mil.

He said Khalid failed to keep to his promises to table a White Paper report on the Talam debt-recovery exercise and to provide explanation at the state assembly.

"His threat to sue MCA is merely to gag us. And his promise to get five independent auditors was reduced to one. Until today, Khalid keeps mum over questions whether the KMPG report was an audit report, an advisory, or mere review,” Chua said.

In July, Chua questioned how an exercise to recover the RM392mil debt owed by Talam to state-linked entities ended up in deals worth more than RM1bil.

The RM1bil deal includes Talam assets acquired by the Selangor government at RM676mil to offset the debt and a RM392mil grant obtained by Mentri Besar Incorporated to facilitate the debt-recovery exercise.

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