I do not normally watch TV1 but on Sunday evening, with no particular programme to watch, I stumbled upon TV1's 'Debat Perdana'. The show's guest was DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who seemed to be like a gladiator thrown into a lion's den. He was outnumbered three to one in terms of BN representatives against the lone opposition representative.

The audience? Well, mainly pre-planned, uniformed guests comprising most probably students of institutions of higher learning. I happened to tune in towards the last part of the programme and it was obvious Guan Eng was under tremendous pressure.

But he admirably withstood all that without losing his cool. Not only was he at a disadvantage in terms of language (Bahasa Malaysia which was the mother tongue of the others) but he also had to put up with attacks on the DAP from another panel member each time he (Guan Eng) mentioned corruption in general. The patronising tone of the moderator only added to the perceived bullying.

It would be interesting to see if the same participants could have used English instead. But then the audience may have problem understanding and grasping the nuances.

I cannot help but wonder if the idea of allowing opposition political leaders to take part in a televised debate is a perverse attempt to corner them into making mistakes or even lose their cool on national television!