The DAP veteran proposed three “opposition days”, two for longer parliamentary meetings and another shorter one.
“I propose parliamentary reforms to include introducing ‘opposition days’ where the opposition will get to decide on the parliamentary business to be transacted,” he said in a statement.
Under the Westminster parliamentary system as practiced in the British parliament, 20 opposition days are allocated for the discussion of subjects chosen by opposition parties.
Lim also raised the issue of Hamzah Zainudin being chosen by Perikatan Nasional (PN) as the opposition leader in the Dewan Rakyat over the two main party leaders, namely Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
He called for Hamzah, who is given ministerial powers in the role, to explain how Muhyiddin and Hadi could aspire to be the next prime minister if they are “not prepared” to undertake the responsibilities of an opposition leader.
On Feb 2, PN announced the formation of a shadow cabinet with 26 MPs who will be the opposition spokesmen on matters related to each Cabinet portfolio.
The PN shadow cabinet is led by Muhyiddin, a former prime minister, as chief whip or chief of the coalition MPs, while Larut MP Hamzah will remain as opposition leader.
A shadow cabinet comprises 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.
Following the announcement, Bersih had called for Putrajaya to put the formation of an opposition shadow cabinet on a legal footing, with a law outlining its functions and rights.
The electoral watchdog 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.
The first sitting of the 15th parliamentary session will begin tomorrow. This session is scheduled to last for 29 days.