For a while, it looked as if Sukma Darmawan was not only Anwar Ibrahim's adopted brother but also Penang's newest adopted son. Indeed, the word "Sukma" was plastered all over the state in recent weeks.

Kinda ironic when you consider that the media have been trying to downplay Malaysia's trial of the century - and then there you have "Sukma" trumpeted all over the state and the country.

Of course, the banners and posters and the media hype were referring to the recently concluded Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) or Malaysia Games, our national equivalent of the Olympic Games. Still, I was half expecting them to change the acronym because of the constant reminder it provided to The Trial. But maybe the irony didn't strike the powers-that-be.

After all, Penang is the home state of ousted deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who together with Sukma is being charged with sodomy. Just as Sukma and Anwar are in the dock in the ongoing sodomy trial, so too was Penang put on the dock, under media scrutiny, for the duration of the Sukma Games.

It was a scrutiny that Penang failed by most accounts. Indeed, it almost seemed as if a dark curse had befallen Penang despite the state government's best-laid plans.

Right from the word go, things started to go wrong. Even the traffic situation. And there were some pretty Famous Last Words uttered. ''Some 2,000 police officers will be involved to ensure safety of participants and the public and smooth traffic flow during the Games, especially for the opening and closing ceremonies,'' said the Penang police chief, two days before the Games.

The state's traffic chief was reported as having said the public should not worry about parking as ''ample parking space is provided in the stadium area''.

Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon said the mass operation would involve 15,000 officials, staff members and volunteers. ''There has to be an efficient and effective way of conducting the operation. The police themselves are the most experienced body for the job.''

Right.

News reports the next day screamed: "Massive jam mars Sukma opening: many of the 40,000 crowd spend 4 hours on the road.'' Many had turned up apparently in expectation of seeing singing sensation Siti Nurhaliza performing at the opening ceremony.

Indeed, the opening ceremony ended about midnight and many reached home about 4am the next day. Those returning to the island from the Batu Kawan stadium on the mainland found themselves stuck at a bottleneck at the Penang Bridge. Other drivers could not get out of the stadium vicinity as parked cars blocked their way.

Bad start. But things got worse, with teams complaining of shoddy accommodation (bed bugs, yeuch!) , substandard meals and, most embarrassing of all for the hosts, stinking toilets (double yeuch!) at hostel dormitories. This in a state that calls itself the "Pearl of the Orient" and where tourism is a major revenue earner.

Media crews were miffed that the information on the games results was not easily available at the media centre. And did I spot a report that said that the pole for the pole vault was too short?

Let's talk a little more about stinking toilets. I think the degree of a nation's progress can be gauged by the state of its public toilets instead of the height of its skyscrapers. Call it the Public Toilets Index. I dare say it would not be too far out from the country rankings contained in the annual United Nations Human Development Index.

I was not at all surprised that the toilets at some of the Games accommodation sites were in deplorable condition. What was surprising to me was that teams actually complained about poor toilets. After all, few Malaysians complain publicly about our largely stinking and poorly maintained public toilets. But maybe Games participants expected the toilets in so august a games carnival as Sukma to be in better condition.

Perhaps we should be thankful to the Sukma Games for highlighting the teething problems in the state: poor traffic, yucky toilets, etc.

I mean, pity the poor students who have to pinch their noses everyday with nary a complaint when they use these same toilets daily. No one would have known what these students have to go through everyday if not for the Games.

Which brings me to the whole point of having these Games. Err, what's the point of these Games? In many other countries, you don't see them having mini-national Olympic Games that require immense resources to organise - precious resources that could be used for other more pressing social needs.

To me, Sukma seems like a colossal waste of public funds.

The proponents of the Games may argue that Sukma provides an avenue for little-known athletes to hit the big-time nationally. But that same opportunity could still be available if each national sports association was to hold its own national competition at different dates and at different venues. For example, the Badminton Association of Malaysia could have a national competition for all the various states without the need for a Sukma Games. The Squash Rackets Association could have its own national competition at another location on another date and so on.

That's what they do in most countries. No national-level mini Olympic Games for them. Just separate national competitions for each sport. So why do we have to be different? Such national-level competitions for each sport at different venues and on different dates would be a lot less of a logistical nightmare than having a jumbo Sukma in one state.

Doing away with the Sukma Games would no doubt free state governments that are unfortunate enough to have been landed with the thankless job of Sukma hosts of much headache. They would not have to waste considerable amounts of energy and financial resources in planning for the next games - energy and financial resources that could instead be used for the benefit of the least privileged in society, for improving public and school toilets, and for improving general hospitals, public transport.

The Penang state government for instance appeared more involved in managing Sukma, with its comic characters Bang Bayan and Chombee (the Games mascots), than in resolving the real world plight of the thousands of tenants badly hit by the repeal of rent control. The state government's attention was instead diverted to "fire-fighting" the numerous snags that cropped up during the unwieldy Games.

Early last Sunday morning, it took just a short downpour to leave parts of Penang flooded. My own weather-beaten car was damaged in last August's floods and this time it came close to suffering a similar fate as the water level crept up.

But my car's fate is nothing compared to the damage inflicted in the homes of those in squatter and other flood-prone areas in Penang each time a heavy downpour leaves parts of the state flooded.

For all the hype surrounding Sukma, it hasn't helped to improve our quality of life, despite the millions of ringgit spent on a new stadium and on the fanciful giant electronic TV screen that hangs at the side of the Komtar tower. This screen was meant to relay the Games results from competitions venues to the public but somehow it never worked as expected.

The Penang Games will be remembered for a long time - but, alas, for all the wrong reasons. Call it the curse of Sukma.

ANIL NETTO is a freelance writer based in Penang who spends half his time waiting for a ferry to arrive.