With big MP pool, prof thinks Harapan in good shape to form shadow cabinet

Unlike its previous iterations, Pakatan Harapan now has the numbers and expertise to form a shadow cabinet.

Thus, political scientist Wong Chin Huat has urged the coalition to seize the opportunity and improve on its role as an opposition alliance.

Speaking at a live webinar this morning, he calculated that Harapan and its allies have a total of 109 MPs, making up almost half of the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.

“With such a big bench, you can definitely form a shadow cabinet.

“They should offer alternatives besides just criticism,” he said on the topic “Shadow Cabinet and Professionalisation of Opposition Politics”.

Seen in parliamentary democracies like the UK, a shadow cabinet is a lineup of “shadow ministers” put forward by the Opposition as an alternative to the government’s cabinet ministers.

In the past, Pakatan Rakyat had set up “cabinet committees” where three of its MPs would focus their attention on one ministry.

Wong, a professor at Sunway University, opined that the structure had failed to work and suggested Harapan commit to a full shadow cabinet instead.

With a dedicated MP for each ministry, not only would this improve the quality of Parliament discussions, but it would be useful in training opposition MPs to be viable ministerial candidates.

Plus, he said, it would also help reduce the number of gaffes committed by inexperienced ministers when they assume office.

“(Former health minister) Dzulkefly Ahmad was an exceptional first-term minister because he was competent. But many of his colleagues (in the Harapan cabinet) were criticised for being inexperienced and incompetent.

“Partly, it is not their fault because their parties were not put in government before. Also, from 2008 onwards, Pakatan Rakyat and Harapan never actually formed a shadow cabinet to train people to be ministers,” he elaborated.

As an example, he said Dzulkefly could shadow current Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

Opposition’s decision

BN had announced a shadow cabinet in September 2018.

Today, webinar panellist and Umno Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said noted that the effort was impeded by Harapan’s refusal to acknowledge it.

At the time, she had been made the shadow minister for law.

“The biggest challenge when we set up a shadow cabinet was that the government of the day didn’t want to recognise the representatives [...] letters I wrote to the government, there was no response,” Azalina said.

Now a Perikatan Nasional (PN) backbencher, she said it would be up to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration to recognise any formation of a shadow cabinet.

“Nevertheless, you can’t deny that the crucial element of any shadow cabinet [...] is a decision which must be made by the Opposition party,” she added.

Fraught coalitions

Meanwhile, PKR Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil highlighted that the challenges to setting up a shadow cabinet would include fluid political allegiances, fraught coalitions, uncertain electoral results and the need for consensus among all party leaders.

He opined that existing bi-partisan parliamentary select committees were more effective for scrutinising policies and ministers.

Even without a formal shadow cabinet structure, Fahmi said Harapan leaders were already specialising when commenting on government actions.

“Those who have government experience are among the first to respond on specific subject matters.

“We have seen (former domestic trade and cooperatives minister) Saifuddin Nasution respond on domestic trade and cooperative issues. We’ve seen (former deputy women, family and community minister) respond to Social Welfare Department (issues),” he said.

In response, Wong contended there was a greater need for more “professional” opposition politics that focused on policy and governance.

Should qualified politicians lose their seats, he said they could be installed as senators, a practice seen in the Harapan and now PN administrations.

Concerns that the structure was too rigid to suit shifting political alliances could also be solved by “reshuffling” the shadow cabinet.

“They (Harapan) has learned that not having trained ministers will make them look bad and give the enemies easy bullets to shoot at them. So the whole question here is that should they repeat their mistake again? [...]

“While the government might not be keen and want to delay (recognising them) as much as possible, the ball is really in the Opposition’s court,” said the professor.

The webinar was organised by NGO Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia and moderated by Bersih executive director Yap Swee Seng.  - Mkini