LETTERS: It's unfortunate that the first week of the current parliamentary sitting saw politicians knocking one another down in the hope of scoring points rather than dealing with the most pressing issues in the country.
For instance, one member of parliament told half-truths about three female influencers who were body shamed online without disclosing why the influencers were dragged into the mud in the first place to paint the supporters of the other political faction as uncivilised and uncouth.
Then, a minister "schooled" another MP in a grandstanding way for lacking understanding of economic growth, perhaps to show just how much the other side basks in rhetoric and being uninformed.
Whatever happened to educating and not berating?
Shockingly, another MP spread misinformation about Menu Rahmah, linking it to some health threats without offering any scientific evidence.
It's an attempt to show that anything the other side is doing is unimportant and potentially destructive.
Isn't this kind of behaviour damaging to the sanctity of Parliament when unsubstantiated arguments are presented as "facts"?
While incompetence and mismanagement must be called out and the people involved should be taken to task, did anyone offer any workable solutions or ideas on how to improve things?
Or was it just another ploy to prove that one side is better or cleverer than the other?
Watching the brouhaha sometimes makes one wonder about the quality of our MPs.
Were they elected to improve the country or be uncouth to each other?
Is Parliament being reduced to a place where one spews dumbfounded statements and assertions to create TikTok content and short social media clips to shame the other political side?
After the country was forced to endure instability and political turmoil for almost three years due to the pandemic, it is time that MPs worked together towards a better Malaysia.
MPs need to put people's livelihoods above politics.
MOHAMAD SYAFIQ YA SHAK
Universiti Teknologi Mara,
Perak
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times