ON the International Labour Day this year was introduced to Sarawak politics an old concept: the shadow cabinet. Formed by the elected members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri from the opposition front, it made news. It’s of great public interest as well.
The fuss about its formation would fizzle out when the party leaders concerned have time to think of the bigger picture: the important role that such a team could play in the legislative assembly adopting a parliamentary system of government and the necessity for the leaders to learn how to trust each other working as a team whose paramount concern is the welfare of the people.
That little spat between DAP and PKR leaders over the way the cabinet was assembled or how its membership was selected is of secondary significance compared to the intention by the new legislators to do justice to their tenure of office for the next five years.
For the public at large, however, this attempt by the opposition to form a working group and call it a shadow cabinet is a smart move. It is a good arrangement, not that such a concept is a novelty among several countries in the Commonwealth.
This is an outfit with which the opposition members of the Dewan can keep the government ministers on their toes always.
It provides a system of checks and balances which is good for governance, a basic requirement of a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster model.
It provides a good training ground for opposition members to learn about the complexities of government. It augurs well for the eventual establishment of a two-party system of government which, I think, will be good for the country in the long run.
We might as well adopt this practice as soon as possible. And the opposition in Sarawak has paved the way. At the federal level, similar arrangements should also be made. After all, there is already the leader of the opposition, recognised as such. He should be surrounded by his shadow cabinet for similar reasons stated above.
Sarawak should also have the leader of the opposition in the Dewan and he should be appointed as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to ensure that no public funds are unnecessarily wasted. Under the supervision of the State Financial Secretary with regular checks from the auditors and the scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee of the Dewan, the management of the state’s finances would be in good hands.
The concept of shadow cabinet
The concept is not new. In several Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, this system works well for effective management of affairs of the state.
In Australia, in particular, the opposition leaders act like ministers-in-waiting and keep their counterparts in government on their toes every day. They are active, strong and ready to take over the reigns of government the moment the incumbent party loses power at elections. In that way, governing of the country continues uninterrupted.
The members of the Australian shadow cabinet make sure that the government manages the economy of the country well for the general good and for the happiness of the greatest number. Together with responsible media, electronic and print, the ministers are under the microscope on a daily basis.
The media’s role is to provide a means whereby the governed and the government can easily and freely interact with one another. The TV stations or the newspapers present two points of view on any major issue affecting the welfare of the citizens — those of the government and those of the opposition, in a balanced manner. The taxpayers expect this and the voters are given the chance to see how their representatives articulate their interests.
The government does not control the media. If media organisations violate the law, there is the judiciary to handle the problem. The rule of law is supreme in a situation like this.
Job for the opposition leader
While we must not copy British ways of governing blindly, the act of appointing the leader of the opposition as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and the setting up of the shadow cabinet by the opposition, are practical and practicable; it’s worth copying, because they are good ingredients of good governance for our country.
The shadow cabinet is not an alternative cabinet in the sense that it will automatically assume office when a government collapses after an election or when the chief minister resigns. It is merely a convenient arrangement for opposition politicians to hone their skills in articulating the policies of their respective parties not only in the Dewan but also outside it. Each member of the shadow cabinet is allocated the jobs corresponding to the portfolios of each minister in government. He or she will have to be well versed in the intricacies of the government.
To do justice to their portfolios, the members have to do a lot of reading about the various aspects of the subjects relating to their portfolios. In a sense, they should be as good as the ministers. Of course, the ministers have an advantage of the assistance from the top civil servants at their beck and call and other experts at their request.
However, an opposition shadow cabinet member would do well if he or she could get the advice and services of resource people, former civil servants or volunteers from the universities. They will form a think tank to advise the members on any aspect of their tasks in that cabinet. They have little time at their disposal for research and reading; more time is required for service to the constituents and meetings or conferences.
In the Dewan, each member’s speech composed of well researched material is important to the civil servants who will study the contents and relate them to their own work in the respective ministry or department. These bureaucrats will act fast if they have written facts and figures handy when they are required to write replies for their political masters to deliver in the Dewan.
Alert legislators
When a legislation is proposed by the government of the day, the Bill or draft law is thoroughly studied by all the legislators, not just those in the ruling elite. A device by the ruling party is to discuss the salient features of any new legislation at a meeting called the pre-council meeting held normally a day or two before the legislative assembly meets.
Here the shadow cabinet members should have their own pre-council meeting to allocate tasks to each member so that there will be no duplication of roles in the Dewan.
The Bill is normally produced by the lawyers in the Attorney General’s Chambers after they have received the briefs from the relevant ministries or departments. Here the task of opposition legislators is harder than those of the governing lawmakers. They have to be one step ahead of their rivals. They have to digest the contents or the substance of a legislation being introduced by the government of the day. As far as the government is concerned, the Bill is as good as complete, and if there is no amendment to its wording, it will be presented in that format to the legislative assembly by the relevant minister. For the opposition members, however, the task is to detect defects or shortcomings of the draft law and it’s not easy to do so, if you are not familiar with the legal jargon normally used by the legal fraternity.
In theory, the opposition can object to the passing of the Bill. Though objection is recorded in the Hansard or record of proceedings of the Dewan, once the draft has been sanctioned by the legislature through majority consensus or vote, it goes to the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri for his assent and signature before the Bill becomes law. It is notified in the government gazette for public information.
Not all human made laws are good; some are bad, biased and inequitable. Some are draconian. Hence the importance of ability and alertness on the part of the legislators to detect loopholes in the draft legislation at the Dewan-level. Here the role of opposition legislators will be of especial importance because once the Bill has been approved by the Dewan, it will be the end product which they had a hand in its production.
Ahli Yang Berhormat are expected to be familiar with all the regulations of the Assembly particularly the Standing Orders; these they will learn in no time while they are on the job.
A good opposition can be effective if its members are familiar with issues of the day. They must be well read and possess lots of ground contacts or networking. Lawyers are not necessary in the Dewan but people trained in the law with a sense of justice are useful to have around in the august House.
See how the opposition will perform
If the opposition members act in a responsible manner, they will earn the commendation of the electorate and possibly a better vote at the next election. If the government ministers do a better job they are expected to do their duty.
Shadow cabinet members can even overshadow some members of the incumbent cabinet, if they are well equipped with the necessary knowledge about the workings of each ministry. If their party should come to power at the next election, some of the members, if re-elected, would be the ministerial material which has gone through the mill.
Looking forward to seeing the performance of the members of the shadow cabinet sometime next month.
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