PH-BN advised to form shadow cabinet in states they lost in polls
ALOR SETAR - The Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is advised to form a shadow cabinet in the states where they lost in the state elections.
Political observer Dr Mohd Muzzammil Ismail said he believed that PH-BN should include this idea in its post-election agenda in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan in order to rise again after suffering major defeats in the states.
He said the formation of the shadow cabinet was not for fun, but rather as a means of providing check and balance to the state government.
"Those chosen as shadow exco members does not necessarily have to be among the candidates contesting.
"This shadow cabinet should also not be made up of only assemblymen from both parties, but of individuals with diverse backgrounds," he told Sinar Harian, today.
Muzzammil who is also Umno Kuala Kedah treasurer believed that participation should be more inclusive with individuals chosen based on integrity, experiences other than administrative expertise.
"It is critical to have a check and balance on the state government's trajectory, particularly in Terengganu, where there is no opposition.
"In Kedah, three opposition members are represented by DAP and PKR, while there are no representatives from Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and BN.
"Balance is essential to ensure that the state government governed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) would not get too comfortable," he added.
He said the shadow cabinet could play a role in monitoring whether or not the pledges of PN's manifestos in the previous state election campaigns were implemented.
"Even if the appointment of the shadow cabinet is not bound by any constitutional provision, it serves as an early preparation in the event the PH-BN coalition rules the states again," he explained.
On Aug 12 during the state elections, PN and the PH-BN coalition retained the status quo in three states.
However, Umno/BN's performance has been poor with only 19 seats in the 108 State Legislative Assembly.
Umno failed to secure any seats in Kedah and Terengganu, while maintaining only one state seat in Galas, Kelantan.
Nonetheless, the party won 14 of the 17 seats in Negeri Sembilan as well as two seats in Penang and Selangor.
