analysis The Penang state legislative assembly, which concluded last week, should have been used to do good for the rakyat. Instead, it has been used as a personal battleground to trade derogatory, seditious and sexist remarks.

NONE These proceedings, which kicked off on May 3, was made possible using taxpayers' money, and were supposed to conclude with better laws debated and passed to improve the lives of Penangites.

It was therefore unpleasant to watch the four-day session degenerate into a battle of barbs because our representatives seem to arrive at the sittings with only one aim: to squash their opponents at whatever cost.

Our YBs do it to gain political mileage and to attract cheap publicity, but by doing so they should ask themselves if they have shown any respect for the 1.6 mil people they represent.

Both sides guilty

Both sides of the political divide were guilty.

To be fair, the 11 Umno reps claimed they were continuously labeled "gangsters", "racist" and "corrupt" by their opponents, the 29 Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons who now rule the state since March 8.

Not used to being the Opposition, Umno found itself no match for the 19 DAP, one PAS, and nine PKR representatives at the backbenchers' row, just waiting to pounce.

But then Umno Penang also becomes defensive when insults were hurled at Prime Minister Najib Razak, as well as on federal institutions like the police force.

Apart from insults being volleyed, crude remarks also made way across the assembly. Fortunately kids were not present to witness this shameful display.

NONE For example, it was not funny when Jagdeep Singh Deo (DAP-Dato Keramat) ( left ) called Opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim "YB buttocks," a reference to an incident during the last sitting when the latter was barred from the assembly for showing his behind to a backbencher.

To even the score, Azhar called Jagdeep "YB sodomite."

Such episodes usually ended with the House in chaos, with YBs from the two sides standing up, waving their hands, and shouting for their opponents to retract their statements.

In times like this, speakers Abdul Halim Hussain and Tan Hock Leng (PKR-Machang Bubok) must be commended for carrying out their duties professionally by bringing the house back to order, and sparing no one from expulsion regardless of party.

No restraint exercised

The Pakatan reps were not innocent either. Several, like RSN Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) often disrupted speeches by Umno reps by lashing out at them with his thundering voice.

"He does not even say ‘excuse me', or ‘please give me a chance to speak' when butting into our speech time," lamented Azhar during one of the press conferences held outside the assembly.

Umno, on their end, never failed to choose to lose their cool rather than to respond in a more civil manner.

The Opposition leader could have led by example by exercising restraint and decorum in the face of criticism, but chose instead to launch into a seditious tirade that caused a brouhaha in the assembly

NONE Azhar ( left ) gave the winning performance in this circus of assemblypersons with his ‘threats' of a repeat of May 13, army takeover and the possible attack of the assembly by a Malay underground gang called ‘Tiga Barisan.'

This Malay martial arts group, he warned, may not hesitate to wage war against the state as they may be unable to control their anger whenever Malays and Islam are insulted.

Azhar blurted this out when Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng criticised Umno and demanded the resignation of Chief Inspector of Police Musa Hassan for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah.

He concluded that the chief minister's criticisms were, in Umno's eyes, a direct insult to Malays and Muslims.

His remarks gave PR representatives the opportunity to whip up a storm accusing Azhar of inciting racial and religious tensions.

"But since when did criticising Umno - or any federal institution - amount to criticising the Malays and Islam?" asked Lim, who is no stranger to accusations of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Azhar has since been referred to the rights and privileges committee and may face suspension for his actions, while his colleagues in BN Penang have distanced themselves from his statement.

If Prime Minister Najib Razak was present at the assembly, he too would have cringed at how his party members continue to make a mockery of his 1Malaysia campaign.

Wailing and whinging

Throughout the four-day sitting, Umno not done much other than to lament that the current state government has sidelined the Malays.

Sadly, they have not substantiated their claims with any hard facts or figures, only mumbling about several vague situations.

Umno members forget that when they are in the Dewan, they represent their voters and not their race. And voters make up of different ethnic groups, not just Malays.

NONE By being myopic in their views and debates, they have only themselves to blame for giving ample ammunition for PR lawmakers to shoot them back by asking, "What happened when you ruled the state government before, what have you done for the Malays?"

They are impervious to the undeniable fact that hardcore poverty and poor living conditions of any community, regardless of race, did not happen overnight. These problems, Umno forgets, had existed during the former administration of Koh Tsu Koon ( above ), which voters booted out in the 2008 political tsunami.

The only thing Umno achieves with its approach is to provoke a 20 to 30 minute shouting match between the two opposing sides.

And they invariably end up looking like fools when they are countered by Pakatan members armed with facts to the contrary.

For example when the Penang CM showed proof of measures the new state government has implemented to raise the living standards of the Malay community, the Umno members were left stumped, bewildered and at a loss for words.

Pressing issues not discussed

Having failed to make Lim and his government look racist, Umno then resorted to lame religious attacks, questioning Lim for emulating the great Islamic leader Khalifah Abdul Aziz.

The chief minister emulating the great Caliph, Shahabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan) concluded, has hurt the sensitivities of Muslims. He argued that Lim should not compare himself to the Muslim icon in terms of character and spirituality.

NONE Lim ( right ) is fond of quoting the  eighth century Caliph, whose words amar maarof nahi mungkar (espousing good, abhorring evil) is often used in Lim's speeches to reflect his fair and just rule.

Shahabudin was summarily shot down by other Muslim Pakatan assemblypersons, who said there was nothing wrong with that, and that they as Muslims were in fact honoured that a non-Muslim admired and desired to follow the footsteps of one of their leaders.

This unending carnival of bickering has laid waste the tax-payer's money when countless pressing issues facing Penangites remain undiscussed.

These include a better transport system, improved health services, local elections, over-development, and in particular, the unnecessary expenditure in access of RM50mil for projects like the Penang International Convention Centre .

These topics, whenever raised, were overshadowed by perpetual jabbing and blabbering by childish and limelight-seeking YBs.

Sadly, such YBs eclipse those who raise their voices professionally, many of whom would do their voters proud if only the legislatives sittings, which ended on May 6, were telecast ‘live'.