Form an alternative cabinet line-up appointed by PM-designate, opposition urged

Former de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong (above) has urged the opposition to form an alternative cabinet that could take over Putrajaya in case the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government collapses.

Earlier this month, PKR appointed its own "parliamentary spokespersons", whose portfolios "shadow" that of the PN ministers, when there was no concerted effort by Pakatan Harapan and its allies to do so.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Liew said he proposed an alternative cabinet, instead of the much talked about shadow cabinet, which is the Westminster system featuring a senior group of opposition lawmakers.

This is because, he said, a shadow cabinet has been proven to work well in the two-party system in the UK, but may not suit the current political scenario in Malaysia, where no party commands a comfortable majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

"A shadow cabinet comes quite handy, as it can take over the government if the (ruling) party collapses.

"But here, we don't have one single party with a comfortable majority to become the government.

"(Muhyiddin Yassin's) Bersatu, Umno, PAS and GPS, they all have to join force. Whereas, in the opposition, we have PKR, DAP and Amanah, while (Dr Mahathir Mohamad's) Bersatu, Warisan and Upko have decided to be an independent bloc.

"But we can have an alternative cabinet-in-waiting, selected by the PM-designate who has the confidence of the House, and be sufficient to form the next government," Liew said.

However, he did not elaborate on how the opposition would resolve the premiership candidate issue.

Liew, who is Warisan chairperson, urged the parties to look at other jurisdictions and to keep the ruling government in check.

An alternative cabinet should be something the people can look into, rely on and also meet their expectations, he said.

Liew also called on the PN government to continue the efforts taken by the previous Harapan administration in reforming laws and the legislative branch.

This included the reviving the Parliament Services Bill, which could restore the autonomy of the august House, he said.

"However, there is one hindrance. We need to first amend the Federal Constitution on the part that deals with finance and staffing issues related to the House," he said.

'The speaker will be able to act more independently'

The bill would be able to make the august House respectable again, following the PN government’s action of replacing the Dewan Rakyat speaker.

"The bill will restore the independence of the Parliament and there will be no interference in the appointment and selection of the speaker. The speaker will be able to act more independently," Liew added.

On Oct 12, 2005, lawmakers from both sides of the divide called for the Parliament Services Bill to be reinstated, despite their differences in political ideologies.

On a separate matter, Liew said he wished to see the bill to repeal the mandatory death penalty tabled in Parliament during its current sitting, as per the original plan.

"There must be a finality in this matter," he said, adding that some 1,200 death row inmates, whose death sentences have been halted, have been waiting for a decision on this since October 2018.

Last week, Liew's successor Takiyuddin Hassan (above) said the cabinet would discuss and decide on the matter, based on the comprehensive report it received from the Special Committee to Review Alternative Punishments to the Mandatory Death Penalty.

The report contains recommendations for alternative punishments for 11 offences that carry the mandatory death penalty, offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (Act 234), and 21 other offences at the court's discretion.

Liew also urged the government to emulate the UK in setting up a Law Commission for the purpose of drafting and amending parliamentary bills.

The previous administration initially planned to table the Law Commission Bill in the Dewan Rakyat sitting in March, but could not do so due to the political coup.

Liew said he mooted the formation of the Law Commission as he found some of the ministries during Harapan's era were not effective in formulating and amending the bill that was listed in the Harapan election manifesto.

He said the commission, which would be made up of former judges and law experts, would get feedback from the people and draft the bill.

"It should be independent and answerable to the Parliament," he said, adding that the Law Commission would be beneficial to the PN government too. - Mkini