Government welcomes media to organise debates among state election candidates - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: The government welcomes broadcasting media platforms to organise debate programmes for candidates contesting in the six state elections, said Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil.

He said such a programme, to be publicly broadcast on any official media platform and mainstream channels, is highly encouraged in line with the practice of democracy in the country.

"We welcome all media to be involved in providing platforms for discussions or even debates so that campaigns for the candidates will not be just about hurling accusations and masking each other,"

"For me, as a country that practices democracy, we must engage in mature politics, and that includes the practice of debates," he told reporters when met at the nomination centre at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Pusu near here today.

Fahmi said he also believed that there are many open media platforms available for broadcasting a debate among the candidates, but it is up to the candidates to decide whether they are willing to participate in such a programme or not.