Recognise shadow cabinet to achieve Malaysia Madani

 

Bersih welcomes the announcement of the shadow cabinet line-up by Perikatan Nasional and congratulates its chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin and opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin.

The act of forming a shadow cabinet is a step forward to empowering the Dewan Rakyat and democracy.

Bersih hopes that with the shadow cabinet, the opposition will be more solid and organised in checking and balancing the government and offering alternative policies based on facts, data and ideas.

We need a culture of political competition that is professional and mature, not hostile and belittling between the government and the opposition in order to achieve Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Innovation as per the Madani concept introduced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the unity government.

Bersih hopes that Anwar will also welcome the formation of this shadow cabinet positively and take this opportunity to strengthen political stability, eliminate worries about a Sheraton 2.0, and realise a Malaysia driven by Madani values.

At the same time, the PN shadow cabinet should pay a courtesy visit to the cabinet before Parliament convenes as a sign of civilised inter-party competition.

The unity government, which positions itself as Reformist, should officially recognise the formation of this shadow cabinet in Parliament with a law that outlines the functions, rights and facilities, so that it can perform a robust and professional check and balance against the government, instead of resorting to emotional and populist rhetoric.

The recognition of the shadow cabinet should include:

1. A swearing-in ceremony for shadow ministers at the Istana Negara as the loyal opposition to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong;

2. An allowance to shadow ministers that is one-third of a minister's salary; similar to Australia's system;

3. Allocation of a salaried research officer for each shadow minister with the relevant expertise related to the shadow minister's portfolio;

4. Relevant access to information on the government so that shadow ministers can produce realistic policies; and

5. Improvements to parliamentary time and agenda in the Dewan Rakyat in consultation with the opposition leader or a representative from the shadow cabinet.

Bersih hopes that with the formation and official recognition of the shadow cabinet, the quality of debate and scrutiny in Parliament and overall policy competition will be enhanced to the benefit of the people who are fed up with unprofessional and toxic political bickering. - Mkini

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The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.