In the aftermath of the riotous May 7 state legislative assembly sitting, images of V Sivakumar being forcibly removed from the speakers chair caused a major dent in Perak Barisan Nasional's already battered reputation.

NONE Having learnt a bitter lesson, BN appointed menteri besar Zambry Abdul Kadir's (right) administration meticulously ensured that they would not be on the back foot during the budget sitting today.

Scores of people were arrested near the venue on May 7 - including legitimate restaurant patrons and even one out on a morning jog - but there were no arrests today.

Inside the state assembly chambers, arrangements were made to ensure that Pakatan Rakyat would not be given the upper hand.

After a brief scuffle between the police and Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons, Sivakumar's (below right) speakers robes were torn off his back and his songkok (headgear) confiscated.

Police also made stringent checks on Pakatan assemblypersons to ensure that they would not bring in cameras and other recording devices, which they used to embarrass on May 7.

NONE When Pakatan assemblypersons eventually took their seats on the opposition bench in the chambers, jeers of ' Zambry lanun ' (Zambry the robber) or speaker ' haram tetap haram ' (illegitimate speaker) earned them nothing more than a quick reprimand from BN-appointed speaker R Ganesan.

Zambry: Don' t be emotional

At a press conference after the sitting adjourned sine die by noon, a wide-smiling Zambry quickly underscored this new on-confrontational approach.

He expressed disappointment that Pakatan refused to take part in the budget debate, though in reality, there was none.

NONE "Personally, I want them to participate in debates in a healthy manner. As you can see, their attitude has not changed. They are shouting and walking about the chambers," he said.

"I believe in a healthy democratic system in the state assembly. They claimed that we 'robbed' the public, but we should debate with minds, not emotions," he added.

He also commended his BN colleagues for not reacting to Pakatan's continuous heckling and jeers.

In an apparent display of goodwill, Zambry even revealed that he had offered ousted Perak menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin sweets when the latter approached him at his seat.

Coupled with a self-proclaimed 'populist' budget, Zambry appears to be trying to portray his administration as a credible and legitimate one.

'Police buried democracy'

Unlike Zambry, Nizar and his cohorts appeared less than jubilant over the proceedings today and trained their sights on the use of the police as obstacles.

NONE "We tried all that we can to enter the chambers by 9.30am. What happened was we were not stopped once, but there were so many hurdles.

"Right outside the chambers, we were stopped again. All these were by the police, who are either forced or ordered by the state secretary or Zambry," said Nizar.

The police thwarted Pakatan's plans to bring Sivakumar in the chambers in his symbolic speakers robes, which was confiscated, leaving him with only a small torn portion of the garment after a scuffle.

Following this, Sivakumar and his colleagues raised another ruckus when they were thoroughly searched before entering the chambers for video recording devices, by which time the sitting had already proceeded for half an hour.

Nizar said the police had no right to obstruct Pakatan's assemblypersons from performing their duties, adding that they had interfered with the democratic process.

"It is a dark day for democracy. Today, the democratic process has been buried by the police," he said.