Pakatan still can’t get its act together

The shadow cabinet issue shows that the Pakatan parties still cannot move past their differences.

COMMENT

A shadow cabinet. An interesting idea, to be sure. After all, Pakatan Rakyat prides itself on ideas that could be alternatives to government policies, and a shadow cabinet could well show Malaysians a taste of exactly what Pakatan Rakyat would be like should it make it to Putrajaya. A shadow cabinet is the best way for the opposition parties to show that they have great ideas for the advancement of the country. So one has to wonder why they haven’t established one yet.

Is there legislation against a shadow cabinet? Last time we checked, no. Is there immense public backlash at the gall of Pakatan in assuming it could do the government’s job better? Certainly not. So why has PR been dragging its feet?

It seems that the Pakatan parties cannot put their “irreconcilable differences” aside even for the little time it takes to make a decision that can only bring good to the coalition.

The bickering between PAS and DAP may have abated somewhat, but Guan Eng and Hadi Awang are still taking cheap shots at each other over the issue of a shadow cabinet, among other things. In fact, after Wan Azizah’s suggestion that the idea of a shadow cabinet be revived, Guan Eng went straight ahead to unveil the DAP’s ideal line-up without referring to PAS – and presumably PKR as well – because the DAP cannot work with Hadi.

Certainly, Guan Eng has a case in assuming that Hadi’s veto power could cause complications for whatever shadow cabinet Pakatan proposes, but isn’t it time to stop with the passive-aggressive bickering? The drama between PAS and DAP is starting to resemble a re-enactment of Mean Girls, only with old men in the starring roles instead of Lindsey Lohan and Rachel McAdams. People hoping to form a government can ill afford to let themselves sink into childish games.

And then we have Wan Azizah’s attempt to pass the buck to BN over the shadow cabinet issue. Her excuse is specious at best, considering that there is no reason for the government (read “the public”) to be obligated to bear the costs and renumerate a shadow cabinet. Indeed, considering that a shadow cabinet has neither the authority nor the ability to enact the policies it proposes, but only to prove a point, it shouldn’t cost any extra to run.

We’ve established that DAP and PAS don’t like each other. It’s been proven that DAP agreed to disagree on the issue of hudud as PAS’ individual mandate during GE13. We can also agree that Hadi was disrespectful to his partners in not consulting them at the very least before going ahead with hudud in Kelantan, and his character during the Selangor Menteri Besar crisis was dubious and suspicious to the point of resembling a super villain sniggering to himself in his lair.

But the fact that Pakatan Rakyat, after two general elections, cannot even get its head together to produce a viable shadow cabinet is nothing short of amazing and raises serious questions on whether it could viably form a government even if it wins in the next GE. For one thing, a shadow cabinet is merely theoretical. The members of this cabinet do not actually have to go out and enact any of the policies they propose as alternatives to the government’s. They do not have to go to the ground and explain these policies to the people, and they do not carry any weight of responsibility if those policies fail.

With that in mind, why is Pakatan still bickering over fancy titles and positions that mean nothing unless they form the federal government?

Pakatan has a chance at winning the next general election, especially if Najib does not step down before then. But if they can’t coexist at a theoretical stage, then I shudder to imagine what it would be like if they took over tomorrow morning. Wan Azizah must assert herself as Opposition Leader and take the lead in making peace between Pakatan’s component parties before it’s too late. And Guan Eng and Hadi must end their high school rivalry for the sake of the coalition.

Despite all the controversies, Pakatan remains the hope for Malaysians who are fed up with the BN administration. It must struggle to make itself equal to that hope.

Tags: Pakatan Rakyat, shadow cabinet