Upko president pleads with Anwar to form shadow cabinet

 

Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau has pleaded with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a shadow cabinet.

He stressed that the opposition must "rise up to the occasion" in the face of the proclamation of emergency which he described as an assault on democracy.

"Pakatan Harapan Plus must be ready to shoulder the responsibility to restore our economy when Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's adventurism and misgovernance cross the red line beyond what the Malaysian public and sober parliamentarians in the government can tolerate," he said in a statement.

Harapan Plus refers to the Harapan coalition and its allies which include Sabah parties Warisan and Upko but they have since drifted farther apart after the collapse of their coalition government at the federal level in February last year.

Wilfred, who is also the Tuaran MP, lamented that Harapan Plus had wasted time since the collapse.

"I would like to say Harapan Plus is ready to save Malaysia but I would then be lying.

"We did not have a shadow cabinet despite having about 40 ex-ministers and ex-deputy ministers. We could not even produce a shadow budget before Nov 6. I am ashamed.

"I do not want to point my finger at any of my parliamentary colleagues because I, too, am guilty of doing too little. I can only offer my apologies to all Malaysians who feel let down," he said in a statement.

However, in the face of the current situation, Wilfred said the opposition must get its act together.

"Waking up on the first morning after Muhyiddin's emergency, I feel the anxiety, anguish, and anger of my fellow Malaysians who see no hope in our government and politics.

"To the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, I plead with you to get a shadow cabinet organised within a week, and immediately work out the opposition's alternative policies on the pandemic and economy.

"Please chair the Harapan Plus shadow cabinet's first meeting next Wednesday, on Zoom," he said.

Wilfred said the opposition cannot continue with its current strategy of constantly attacking Muhyiddin's "backdoor" government.

"Instead, we must work hard on offering better policies and delivery so we can walk in from the front door with a strong, formidable, and convincing majority after the 15th general election," he said. - Mkini