THE Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has called on the reformist unity government to recognise Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) shadow cabinet officially in Parliament.
This is a suggestion that many netizens do not seem to agree with, and they are not taking Bersih’s suggestions lightly. They are attacking the idea as far-fetched.
In a five-point statement yesterday (Feb 3), Bersih said its proposals are crucial to ensure professional checks and balances and to strengthen the opposition’s role in holding the government accountable.
The election watchdog also views the formation of the shadow cabinet as a positive step towards empowering the Dewan Rakyat and promoting democracy in Malaysia.
But comments on social media networks are dismissive of Bersih’s suggestions.
Gaji mnteri dgn peruntukn mp pun kn potong sbb nk berjimat, lagi ko nak mintak kerajaan bayar elaun kat mrk ni. Ms jd menteri pun ape kebolehan pun takdak nmpk. Menyushkn rkyt ada la. Aku tak setuju duit rkyt byr kat mereka2 ni. Dah la ada kaki ponteng kat situ. Mkn gj buta lagi?
— Izly (@izlyy_) February 3, 2023
[Even the minister’s salary and MP allocations were cut to save money, now they still want to ask the government to pay an allowance to the opposition? When they were ministers, they (PN) were not able to do anything good. They made life difficult for the rakyat. I don’t agree that people’s money should be given to them. On top of that, they are always absent from Parliament. Now give them free money?]
A lot of users expressed similar sentiments:
Ada mata lihat, ada otak pikir, ada telinga dengar.. 😅, dgn lihat pnglaman 33blan dtambah pula komposisi bygan aduhai… Kadang risau kalau2 bangkang dgn hanya sentimen smata2 apatah lagi bila suda dpt pngiktirafan semua dgn brgaji 1/3 drp mntri woahhhh
— –`ˏ Ray Expressionism ˎˊ – (@RaynersExpress1) February 3, 2023
In a reply to @mkinibm, user @RaynersExpress1 is saying that for 33 months, the people saw and heard what PN did while in power. Now with their “one-sided” shadow cabinet, we should be worried. What else will they do if they get an “official” upgrade as a “shadow cabinet” with one-third of a minister’s salary?
In one of the 5 conditions suggested by Bersih yesterday, it says that the ‘shadow cabinet’ of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should be paid one-third of a minister’s salary and each one of the shadow cabinet members should be given a paid researcher.
Pe tujuan iktiraf? Nk dpt gaji ke? Bleh masuk mesyuarat kementarian? Bleh dpt peruntukan? Kalau x iktiraf pun,patut bleh je berjalan sb masing2 dah ade portfolio fokus masing2. Dtg parlimen keluarkan soalan utk dibahaskan ikut porfolio masing2. Peranan msh berjaln
— Enche’ Farhan (@EncheFarhan) February 3, 2023
This user is right on the dot, asking what is the purpose for this “recognition”?
(Do you want them to get paid? Can they participate in the ministry meetings? Can you get an allocation? If they are not recognised, they should be able to carry out their duties as per their shadow portfolio. Come to Parliament and ask the questions to be debated according to their respective portfolios.) — Feb 4, 2023
Main photo credit: Facebook
