Bersih said such a law would enable the shadow cabinet to carry out a robust check and balance against the government.

The group also called for a swearing-in ceremony for members of the shadow cabinet, payment of an allowance amounting to one-third of a minister’s salary, the allocation of a salaried research officer, and access to government information to produce realistic policies.

Perikatan Nasional (PN), which forms the parliamentary opposition to Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, announced the formation of a shadow cabinet yesterday with 26 MPs who will be the opposition spokespersons on matters related to each Cabinet ministry.

Bersih called on members of the PN shadow cabinet to pay a courtesy call on Anwar’s cabinet before Parliament convenes “as a sign of civilised inter-party competition”.

The PN shadow cabinet is led by coalition chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, a former prime minister, as chief whip or chief of the coalition’s MPs, while the leader of the opposition is Larut MP Hamzah Zainudin, the PN secretary-general.

Bersih hoped the opposition would now be more solid and organised in checking and balancing the government and offering alternative policies based on facts. It also hoped that the quality of “debate and scrutiny and overall policy competition will be enhanced to the benefit of the people”.

In Westminster parliamentary systems, a shadow cabinet is a group of opposition MPs, usually led by the opposition leader, who mirror the position of Cabinet members. They have no executive power but scrutinise the policies and actions of the government, and offer alternative policies.