Shadow cabinets and their fallout

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Shadow cabinets make no news in Westminster type of democracies such as Great Britain. Whenever the Conservatives or the Labour is in power, the Opposition is ready with a shadow cabinet to form the next government, when the opportunity permits. The Joint Opposition’s(JO) recent shadow cabinet has stirred a hornet’s nest in the local political spectrum. Hot on the heals of forming a shadow cabinet, the prime minister of the shadow cabinet resigned leaving it drifting and rudderless. The architects of the shadow cabinet argued that a team of political seniors were appointed to monitor the activities of Ministries. However, a leading JO frontliner conceded that the idea behind the shadow cabinet was to break the backbone of the Government and not to create a rift in the SLFP.

Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Deputy Minister Karunaratne Paranavithana

"It was a good practice to appoint a shadow cabinet by following British and Commonwealth parliamentary traditions"

The concept of a shadow cabinet is not a new phenomenon in the local political arena. When former Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranaike ascended to power in 1956, the LSSP, the largest political party in the Opposition at the time formed a shadow cabinet with its 14 MPs. The objective of the LSSP’s shadow cabinet was to keep a close watch on the work carried out by the MEP Ministers. According to the authority on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure, Erskine May, “In representative parliamentary democracy, the role of the Opposition which is the democratic alternative to the Government is of great significance. Constitutional authority Erskine May’s comment in this context is significant. According to him “The importance of the Opposition in the system of Parliamentary Government has long received practical recognition in the procedure of Parliament. Even before the first Reform Act, the phrase ‘His Majesty’s Opposition had been coined by John Cam Hobbhouse.” The prevalence of the two party system has usually obviated any uncertainty as to which party has the right to be called the ‘Official Opposition’ It is the largest minority party referred to as His Majesty’s Opposition. importance of the Opposition in the Parliamentary system, Government has long received practical recognition in the procedure of Parliament.”

The JO Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardena

"The decision to appoint monitoring MPs was taken several months ago and it was publicly announced on July 7"

The shadow cabinet is a feature of the Westminister form of Government. It consists of a senior group of Opposition spokesmen who under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition forms an alternative cabinet to that of the Government, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the Cabinet.

It is the shadow cabinet’s responsibility to criticise policies and actions of the government as well as to offer alternative programs.

‘To keep tab on workings of Ministries’

The JO Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardena said the shadow cabinet was formed to keep a close watch on the functions of each Ministry at national level and to look into fraud or waste.”The decision to appoint monitoring MPs was taken several months ago and it was publicly announced on July 7,” he said. MP Gunawardena said all members who were appointed to the shadow cabinet would responsibly fulfill their role in the event of forming a new government.

‘Fragmented opposition’

Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Deputy Minister Karunaratne Paranavithana told the Sunday Observer “It was a good practice to appoint a shadow cabinet by following British and Commonwealth parliamentary traditions. It has been in existence in Sri Lanka, but was not in the news. There are parliamentary traditions and we follow the British and Commonwealth models. It is good to have a shadow cabinet but in this instance, we have a fragmented Opposition. There is no unanimity and consensus among the JO members in appointing a shadow cabinet.

If we are to follow good parliamentary traditions, it is good to appoint a shadow cabinet, then there will be healthy debate in Parliament. If the JO can promote wider consensus, it will be a success. There are shortcomings in their arrangement. My suggestion is, it is better to have a wider consensus and then appoint a shadow cabinet. Whoever mooted this idea has done a good thing and this shows sincerity towards parliamentary traditions. If the JO can sort their intra-opposition rivalry and appoint a good shadow cabinet, it will then be a sort of model Parliament,” he said.

‘Not recognised in Parliamentary procedure’

Former Secretary General of Parliament Nihal Seneviratne

"This is common in Britain. I don’t know whether it is recognised in other Commonwealth countries"

Former Secretary General of Parliament Nihal Seneviratne told the Sunday Observer that shadow cabinets received no recognition.”This is common in Britain. I don’t know whether it is recognised in other Commonwealth countries. In Britain, where there is a two-party government, one might sometimes try to form a shadow cabinet.

There is no special significance because it is not recognised in parliamentary procedure.

You may be in a shadow cabinet but that does not mean that when a government is elected you get the same portfolio you held in the shadow cabinet. In Sri Lanka too the same applies.

This is an ad hoc arrangement. Some members might like to form a shadow cabinet .

It is useful in a sense, where some Parliamentarians can concentrate and study a particular subject. But the problem is, our MPs don’t study the subject, even when they are in government,” he said.

“Shadow cabinets haven’t got much recognition in Sri Lanka but is popular in England between the Conservative and Labour Governments. In Asian countries even in India, there is a Congress party, BJP, DMK and so on. In a way, it is a good thing where one member can study a subject in depth,” he said.