Former prime minister Najib Razak is looking forward to debating PKR president Anwar Ibrahim on Sapura Energy Bhd’s financial problems.
In a Facebook post, he told the opposition leader to immediately contact his aide to set the place and time for the showdown, after Anwar agreed to debate him on the matter earlier today.
Najib also asked Anwar and PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli to organise the debate with the media if they wish for it to be aired live.
“Game on. I agree to have a debate with Anwar. Let’s rock! Please contact my assistant to find the closest suitable date for all,” he wrote.
Recently, Rafizi issued a debate challenge to Najib on the financially-troubled Sapura Energy Bhd.
Najib, in response, said he would only participate if Anwar joins too. This morning, the Port Dickson member of parliament accepted the call.
Sapura Energy, a subsidiary of the Sapura Group, lost RM8.9 billion last year and has been in the red since 2019. Three of its subsidiaries are also in the process of winding up in early March.
Following Najib’s original proposal for the government to intervene by giving low-interest loans or loan guarantees to Sapura to fix its cash flow concerns, Rafizi and Najib have been at odds.
Putrajaya may also instruct Petronas or Khazanah Nasional Bhd to take over ownership of Sapura Energy, according to Najib, noting the fact that Petronas still needed Sapura’s services for its projects and had a superior grasp of the sector.
However, Rafizi said this would only benefit a “handful of elites”, adding that the money used to bail out the ailing oil and gas company could be put to better use to serve Malaysians.