The House of spectators

The third sitting of 12th Penang Legislative Assembly term finished its business last week, passing the state deficit Budget 2009 and officially recognising the position of opposition leader without any collective stimulation to inflame political thrills.

It was not that the meetings were without incidents and fiery debates among legislators to score political points over each other.

But the political drama was rather confined to only a few who either took the trouble to liven up the largely quiet proceedings or attempted to mark their presence with meaningful participation especially since the Webcam television was on.

The pick of the lot was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the Air Putih assemblyperson.

His fiery exchange with Barisan Nasional assemblypersons, all 11 of them from Umno, over the use of Arabic term - Amar Ma'aruf Nahi Mungkar (Enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil) - showed that he has all the hallmarks to remain as a top political leader in the country for years to come.

Although he had to face Muslim opposition members, notably Permatang Berangan assemblyperson Shabudin Yahya and Sungai Dua's Jasmin Mohamed over his right to use to those terms, he stood his ground firmly.

The way he defended himself from Umno's criticisms before re-launching his offensive political jibes to push his opponents to a corner was admirable.

It will not be an overstatement to say that the Umno opposition bench simply did not have an answer to Lim, who like his father, seems ever prepared to take on anyone on any issue at anytime, anywhere.

So long as his administration can avoid being tainted with abuse of power, misappropriation of public funds, political arrogance and corruption, he should stay in his position for a long time.

However, for a captain to pilot a steady ship to its destination, he needs a passionate crew, something Lim seems to lack now.

Mere spectators

Apart from Deputy Chief Minister Dr P Ramasamy, state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh and Datuk Keramat representative Jagdeep Singh Deo, others were simply spectators lacking the stomach to debate on political and socio-economic issues.

Most Pakatan Rakyat legislators were there to make up the numbers due to formality.

They conveniently forgot that the assembly is the place to highlight their constituency issues, explore their political know-how and leadership qualities.

Umno assemblypersons too should be blamed for the lack of cohesive and vibrant debates on issues as only Opposition Leader Azhar Ibrahim from Penaga, Shahbudin and Jasmin showed interest in putting across their views and opinions.

The rest were warming their seats as if they were representatives from the Umno-led federal government rather than responsible opposition representatives to Penangites.

Ramasamy injected the much needed excitement to the orderly proceedings when he sensationally disclosed that job application forms to join the civil service from non-Malays were reportedly torn.

He irked the opposition by blaming Umno's political hegemony as the main reason for the marginalisation of non-Malays in government employment.

Even though Umno legislators pounced on him, attacking the Prai assemblyperson from all angles, Ramasamy proved himself to be a formidable opponent.

His disclosure resulted in a couple of police reports lodged by an Umno Youth leader and a non-government organisation. But the deputy chief minister remained unfazed.

However, DAP's Danny Law Heng Kiang, an executive councillor in charge of tourism development, culture, arts and heritage portfolios, was at the receiving end for his perceived lack of competency in the 'King of Tennis' debacle.

Law, the Batu Lanchang assemblyperson, could not defend himself and tacitly conceded defeat when attacked by Azhar and Shabudin.

Other lively incidents were the encounters between Phee and Jasmin, and another young Umno stalwart Raslan Saidin from Pinang Tunggal.

PKR reps disappoint

The biggest disappointment was the performance of PKR legislators, especially Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin and executive councillors Abdul Malik Kassim and Law Choo Kiang.

They failed to live up to expectations and were lame ducks throughout.

However, one young stalwart caught the attention, not because he was an articulate and dynamic orator, but for his passion for House rules - Seri Delima assemblyperson R Sanisvara Nethaji Rayer.

His penchant to refer to the standing orders every now and then not only stifled the opposition’s voice but also conjured up an air of exasperation among onlookers, especially journalists.

His proclivity to House rules, one had lost count how many times he referred to the book, has already earned him the nickname - 'YB Peraturan' (Mr Rules) - and that stigma will do more harm than good to his credibility in the long run.

Compared to last July’s sitting, this sitting marked an overall improvement in debates and exchange of views among legislators, although there is plenty of space for improvement.

Elected representatives should comprehend the fact that they represent the interests of all Penangites at the assembly, not merely their voters.

They should refrain from emotional outbursts, exercise tolerance when speaking on religious issues and be more pro-active and progressive in their views, opinions and suggestions.

Penangites expect their elected representatives to justify their positions and play a pivotal role in designing the future direction in coming assembly sessions

All 40 assemblypersons have the responsibility to mollify electorates before the voters start to believe they had committed a blunder by voting them in the last general election.