PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali today challenged DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to face him in public to discuss their respective positions on having local council elections in Penang.

During a press conference today, Mustafa criticised Lim (left) for telling "half-lies" on PAS' consent for DAP's local government agenda in Penang.

PAS has said it never consented to the move, while DAP insisted that PAS had prior knowledge.

"I ask for him and me to face each other. It's up to you (journalists) how you want to call it.

"I challenge him to face me in front of the public, and relay his version, and I will relay my version.

"Let the people decide who's lying and who's not," said Mustafa, who refused to confirm if he was challenging Guan Eng to a debate despite being pressed by journalists.

Mustafa said that it was "not nice" for a man of Guan Eng's stature to "say according to his heart's wishes".

"That's why I say, this thing has been dragging on for so long and there must be a way for us to solve the problems, maybe not all at once, but some can be solved - let us face each other," he said.

"I ask him to accept this, it doesn't matter. You can call this a challenge if you want," he said.

He said that facing Guan Eng would help him distinguish what is right and what is wrong.