Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has been invited by RTM to participate in the Debat Perdana to discuss the Ninth Malaysia Plan from the Islamic perspective.

"The invitation is made following Kelantan Umno liaison chairman (Datuk Seri) Annuar Musa's statement that he is willing to face Nik Abdul Aziz in a public debate over RTM," Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said today.

He said RTM would send the official invitation to Abdul Aziz soon, according to a Bernama report.

Request from Annuar

Zainuddin revealed that Annuar had asked RTM to give him and Nik Aziz a chance to debate on the 9MP over its station on Friday.

The minister hoped that Nik Abdul Aziz would accept the invitation because he believed that a programme featuring the two leaders of Kelantan would be most interesting and one much-awaited by the public.

"Don't turn it down because previously, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang was invited but he sent his son (Lim Guan Eng) instead," he said.

He said RTM's effort in holding the public debate was an extension of the government's openness and belief in the freedom (of speech).

"Prior to this, RTM had invited many opposition leaders to debate on specific," Zainuddin said.