Speaker: Opposition should form shadow Cabinet

(The Rakyat Post) – Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia today suggested that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) create a shadow Cabinet to smoothen the debate session during the parliamentary sittings.

He said this was to make it easier for the Opposition group to choose from among their parliamentarians those who were experts in their respective fields to debate on an issue more effectively.

“In most countries which practise parliamentary democracy, when one side loses in a general election, they will still set up a shadow Cabinet to debate on the issues according to their expertise.

“This way, sound ideas too can come from PR,” he said when met by reporters in his office at Parliament building, here.

Pandikar Amin was earlier asked on the Dewan Rakyat’s move to hold an emergency parliamentary sitting tomorrow to debate on a motion to condemn the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane, Flight MH17 in Ukraine last Thursday.

He advised the lawmakers involved in tomorrow’s debate to make good use of the time in debating on the issue of the MH17 crash.

“This emergency parliamentary sitting is a government initiative to convey the voice of the people on the MH17 crash incident which has killed almost 300 killed.

“Anyway, the time allocated for the day’s sitting is only from 10am to 5.30pm.”

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had decided on calling for an emergency meeting of Parliament to table the motion condemning the inhumane action against MH17, which is believed to have been shot down by a surface-to air-missile in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Thursday.

The proceedings tomorrow will be carried live on TV1 from 10am.