Anwar urged to form shadow cabinet

GEORGE TOWN – Political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat has called on opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to form a shadow cabinet to keep the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition government in check, particularly on budgeting matters and the delivery system.
 
He said that Pakatan Harapan (PH), which Anwar leads, needs to learn from their oversight when Budget 2021 was put to vote in Parliament yesterday.
 
The budget was passed as only 13 MPs from Pejuang and Amanah led by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed stood up to indicate their disapproval of the Bill.
 
The opposition needed 15 MPs to enable bloc voting but only 13 stood up, causing the budget to be passed at the policy stage with voice support. 
 
“Maybe Anwar has become compromised because he is too busy getting the numbers to form a new government. Nonetheless, the uncoordinated nature of the opposition who has 108 members, had exposed the failings of them as a cohesive unit,” Wong said.
 
“And if PH (Pakatan Harapan) could produce shadow budgets for seven consecutive years before coming into power, why did it fail to produce one for 2020 after 22 months in Government? The shadow budget 2020 could have been rigorously produced by the Harapan/Harapan Plus shadow cabinet, regrouping its talents,” said Wong in a commentary that he shared with The Vibes.
  
The fiasco in Parliament, according to Wong, raises questions about Anwar's fitness to be the parliamentary opposition leader.
 
“Let us all be clear. The budget vote fiasco was not just a tactical misstep. It is symptomatic of the cynicism in our political class – the opposition bench included - who sees Parliament as nothing more than a stepping-stone for executive power.”
 
Wong said that if Anwar can gather a coalition to take over as prime minister, he deserves to be one, adding that defeating a flawed budget is a perfectly legitimate means to do so.
 
“However, Anwar’s eagerness to become the Prime Minister must not cause him to fail as the parliamentary opposition leader. His obsession with numbers must not derail the opposition from effective policy competition.”
 
The fiasco can be traced back fundamentally to the absence of a shadow cabinet, Wong claimed.
 
As a redemption, Anwar should form a functioning shadow cabinet before 2020 is over.
 
“Malaysians deserve better. The year 2021 should not be a replay of 2020. Hear us, Anwar,” he added. – The Vibes, November 27, 2020.