THE plan of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the opposition in the parliament, to establish a shadow cabinet to ‘rigorously scrutinise, diligently challenge and responsibly strengthen every decision made in the service of the public’ is a positive step. A shadow cabinet is a group of opposition members in parliamentary systems who mirror the portfolios of the cabinet of ministers. The opposition move is welcome in that although a shadow cabinet is designed to provide the scrutiny of the ruling party, develop alternative policies and hold the government to account, no opposition in parliament has ever formally instituted a shadow cabinet. The Jamaat-e-Islami amir, now the leader of the opposition in the parliament, in a statement on February 17, has said that the shadow cabinet would be established in the spirit of accountability and transparency, with the shared responsibility to strengthen institutions. The National Citizen Party, a partner in the alliance that the Jamaat-e-Islami leads, a day earlier said that preparations were under way to form a shadow cabinet to ensure transparency and accountability and to act as a watchdog of overall government activities. It is important to hold the government to account in all its activities in the event of infraction.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party government should, in the same breath, work out policies, make legislation, carry forward governance and run the country cautiously on its own and in view of the shadow cabinet of the opposition that is expected to not only criticise the government but also get in contact with stakeholders to build informed policy decisions in its effort to set the government on the right track. The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party should remember that the politics of rhetoric that has often been used as a smokescreen to hide what goes on on the ground and to confuse people about what goes on inside the government would no longer work if the shadow cabinet of the opposition camp remains true to its objectives. The structured parliamentary oversight that a shadow cabinet envisages can also improve policy debate. Whilst shadow ministers can act to improve scrutiny and accountability of the government, by developing alternative policies and acting as the primary opposition in parliamentary debates and in the media and offering a counter-narrative to the government’s agenda, they can also leave a positive impact on governance and democracy, by providing evidence-based critique. A shadow cabinet also serves as a training ground for opposition members of parliament to gain experience in portfolios.
The shadow cabinet can play a vital role in a parliamentary democracy, especially when one party holds a strong majority. With the supermajority of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a shadow cabinet would provide a consistent, organised alternative with checks and balances. Jamaat’s shadow cabinet should, therefore, shake the harness bell whenever there is a mistake by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
