Upko chief calls on Anwar to form shadow cabinet ahead of general election

Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau has challenged opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a shadow cabinet ahead of the next general election.

At a webinar organised by Bersih 2.0 today, the Tuaran parliamentarian said a shadow cabinet platform would allow the opposition to scrutinise the government's policies and at the same time formulate its alternative policies for the voters.

Madius (above) said Anwar should stop giving reasons not to form a shadow.

"I want to put this challenge to Anwar. The opposition leader is the prime minister in waiting. He must start this process and stop saying that the parties are fragmented, and everybody wants this position and that position.

"How can we achieve unity? You can achieve unity by starting the process. I am saying start the process before it is too late.

"When you start this process, you will identify various challenges, such as whether a certain party will demand certain posts," he said.

Madius said Anwar will be doing a disservice to the country if he fails to create a shadow cabinet as it is an important platform, particularly when Parliament is suspended during the current nationwide emergency, which will only end in August.

He said a shadow cabinet would allow the opposition to present alternative policies to the people.

"If we want to develop Malaysia into a mature democracy, where the people vote based on policies offered by parties, I don't see how we can do this without a shadow cabinet," he said.

Maidus said a shadow cabinet would also play a part as check and balance on the government.

Similarly, he called on all state opposition leaders to form their respective state-level shadow cabinets.

The webinar was held in conjunction with a research report launched by Bersih 2.0 on the importance of having a shadow cabinet.

The report, entitled "A Framework for a Shadow Cabinet in Malaysia", was written by independent researcher Maha Balakrishnan.

The report recommended the formation of shadow cabinets at both federal and state levels and its members to be selected based on merit.

"They should have experience in the area that they have been appointed to. The lineup of any shadow cabinet should also reflect the diversity of the society it represents in terms of political parties, factions, ethnicities, gender, age, and regions.

"A single shadow minister should be appointed to shadow each ministry or exco of the government. The shadow minister should be the lead spokesperson for the issue from the opposition.

"The shadow cabinet should have regular meetings, at least weekly, to shadow the actual cabinet of the government," Maha said.  

Meanwhile, Bersih called on the federal and state governments to officially recognise and institutionalise the practice of shadow cabinets as part of the country's democratic process.

The electoral watchdog demanded that Parliament amend its Standing Orders to give the shadow ministers privileges and advantages during parliamentary procedures such as parliamentary questioning and legislative debates.

"It should formalise the power and authority of the leader of the opposition and a representative of the shadow cabinet to be consulted on decisions relating to scheduling and timetabling of the business in the House," said Bersih.

While Harapan has yet to form a shadow cabinet, PKR, in July 2020, appointed a list of parliamentary and assistant parliamentary spokespersons to shadow the Perikatan Nasional government and raise the effectiveness of PKR MPs.

It was also reported that Johor Harapan agreed to establish a state shadow cabinet last year.

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