Khairy also welcomed public suggestions to help the Opposition craft their first Shadow Budget. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Khairy Jamaluddin urged the government today to provide resources for Shadow ministers after Barisan Nasional (BN) formed Malaysia’s first Shadow Cabinet.

Khairy, who holds the Shadow Finance Ministry portfolio together with Joseph Kurup, also welcomed public suggestions to help the Opposition craft their first Shadow Budget.

“Now that the Shadow Cabinet has been announced, institutional reform of Parliament should follow with select committees and resources for Shadow ministers,” Khairy tweeted.

Now that the Shadow Cabinet has been announced, institutional reform of Parliament should follow with select committees & resources for Shadow ministers. — Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) September 26, 2018

The Shadow Cabinet, led by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, retains many previous BN ministers in the same portfolios, such as Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein in Defence, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin in Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan in International Trade and Industry, and Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz in Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The Shadow Cabinet, dominated by Umno, includes four MPs from BN component parties MIC, MCA and PBRS.

In the United Kingdom, the Shadow Cabinet comes from the Official Opposition, which is usually the party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons. Other smaller parties also have official spokesmen in Parliament on various issues.

The Shadow Cabinet is meant to function as the government-in-waiting in the Westminster system.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its predecessor Pakatan Rakyat did not have Shadow Cabinets when they were in the Opposition.