An Umno-linked portal has targeted Asia’s top debater Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman for failing to rebut arguments against his claims on state-investor 1MDB and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

In a posting, MyNation.news cited a debate challenge issued by Azmi Arshad to Syed Saddiq on Facebook last Saturday.

The portal said Azmi is a chief financial officer at an oil and gas company who often defended the government and Najib with facts and reference to credible sources.

“With questions and answers that go all over the place, the youth who is believed to be unemployed and still lives with his mother, has failed to provide the evidence to support his claims,” said the portal in mocking Syed Saddiq as a "disgrace".

It also translated Azmi’s Facebook post in which he had challenged Syed Saddiq to provide factual answers based on 11 allegations made against 1MDB.

“While waiting for you (to respond) I thought I might as well respond to your first ‘argument and concerns’ that were obviously intended to be a diversion from the allegations I listed down.

“Diversion pun diversion lah … I’ll humour you anyway but let me say though, that this is the kind of tiresome questioning that I had wanted to avoid because it simply shows you are shooting in the dark and flinging as much mud as possible at the wall hoping some will stick but yet not prove anything,” said Azmi in a posting on Monday.

Among others, Syed Saddiq had highlighted concerns surrounding alleged interference into the ongoing investigation, the 1MDB-business model and excuses made by the parties involved.

Contacted for comment, Syed Saddiq said he took such challenges and blog posts as just attempts to exasperate him.

“As soon as I signed the Citizens' Declaration, I got so many intimidating comments. I was added into Umno supporters WhatsApp groups where I was called names and attacked.

“There were also so many different questions. I cannot answer it all. Anyway, I just take all this as attempts to exasperate me,” he said.

On Azmi’s challenge, Syed Saddiq insisted that he has responded with his concerns.

Syed Saddiq was among the 58 leaders who signed the declaration last week which saw former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his allies coming together with the opposition and civil society.