KUALA TERENGGANU – For the first time in history, Terengganu will not have an opposition in the state assembly, with Perikatan Nasional (PN) sweeping all 32 seats in the recent state election.
The situation has raised questions as to who will play the role of checks and balances if all assemblymen are from the government bloc.
Policy Studies programme lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Development, Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim said this was not healthy for the state’s progress.
“In the legislative assembly, it is very important to have a critical opposition. Although the role of checks and balances can be played by the backbenchers, their function will not be the same as a constructive opposition.
“Personally, I am not too fond of having a monopoly in politics… but what determines this monopoly is the people who have given full mandate to the party and indirectly, they have formed a monopoly in the government,” he told Bernama.
In order to balance the situation, he said several assemblymen could be appointed so that checks and balances can occur more effectively, especially during state assembly sittings.
Mohd Yusri said the appointment of these assemblymen, including those from opposing parties, would not affect the strength of the state government bloc, however, the ‘ship’ cannot be left to ‘sail’ without parties other than those from the ruling party.
Political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub concurred, saying that the appointed assemblyman would not only be able to better highlight the people’s issues and check on the shortcomings of the state government, but also ‘refresh’ the practice of democracy.
“This appointed assemblyman can also be from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or environmental activists, and I believe it gives a more positive perception than appointing people from the same political party,” he said.
In November 2018, the Terengganu state assembly for the very first time appointed a woman, Zuraida Md Noor, as an assemblyman without having to go through the election process, in accordance with the provisions of the Terengganu Constitution.
Meanwhile, Terengganu State Assembly Speaker Datuk Yahaya Ali said the appointment of assemblymen was indeed possible in accordance to the law.
“Yes, assemblymen can be appointed (based on certain conditions) but not more than four people,” he said, adding that the matter must be referred to the Constitution for a clearer definition. – August 15, 2023