Lim, who first mooted the debate, said he was eager to spar with Tengku Adnan and was even ready to debate with him in Putrajaya.

“I am not great, not as great as him. I am just a chief minister, not the secretary-general of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

“He is a ‘pemidato hebat’ (great debater). I only want to hear his good points on why Penang must be turned into an FT,” Lim said in Mak Mandin today.

Tengku Adnan has yet to respond to Lim or FMT on the debate.

Recently, Tengku Adnan had said he would like to include Langkawi, Penang, parts of Malacca and Tioman as federal territories.

He had said this would ensure more funding for development and more homes for the people.

Lim did not take Tengku Adnan’s suggestion lightly, saying it would be taking away Penangites’ right to vote for their elected reps.

Lim said if Penang was turned into an FT, it would lose its state assembly, which has been in existence since 1948.

Lim has since started a campaign called “I love Penang” to fend off attempts to make Penang an FT, calling it a “love to fight hate” campaign.

He said it appeared to be a backhanded move by BN to wrest the state by turning Penang into an FT.

BN lost the state in 2008 to the opposition, which then increased its majority in the 2013 general election.