By Xinhua,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia’s Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek and de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim held a rare televised debate here late Tuesday, focusing on the fuel prices.
Anwar, adviser of PKR (the People’s Justice Party), started off the debate by promising to reduce the fuel prices to ease the economic burden faced by the people.
Shabery stressed that the inflation faced now could not be attributed solely to fuel prices, as major oil producers, such as Venezuela and Iran, were hit with inflation although the fuel prices in those countries were much lower.
The food crisis also fed the inflation, Shabery said.
Anwar said that the drastic hike in fuel prices within a short period had pushed inflation up, but Shabery countered.
Shabery also noted that Malaysia was only a minor oil producer and the country would become a net importer of oil in 2005.
It is the first time that a Malaysian Cabinet minister held a live television debate with Anwar, after the National Front coalition government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won the general election on March 8 this year.