IN elections under a democratic system, a typical outcome is for one political party to be declared the winner and the other to walk out of the contest as a loser.

In the Malaysian context, the party that wins with the most number of seats or having the biggest number of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat will establish a government at the federal level with the blessing of the Yang di-Peruan Agong (YDPA) while the party that fails to get a majority will end up on the opposition bench.

In western democracies like the US which practices a two-party system (either the Republicans or the Democrats will rule), the winner will form the government while the defeated party will take on the opposition role by monitoring the government in terms of auditing its performance or direction to ensure that the well-being of the American citizens is not compromised at all cost.

Essentially, they will establish their own “shadow cabinet/ministry” (as in the Westminster model which somehow forms the basis of the parliamentary system in Malaysia) to scrutinise the policies and actions of the power that be or even to offer alternative policies.

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KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is facing opposition and attempts to disrupt the unity government as a result of his reform agenda, particularly efforts to eradicate corruption, which are upsetting many, a senior aide to the prime minister said.

Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, Anwar’s senior political secretary, said certain parties are dissatisfied with his reform proposals due to the benefits they have reaped from weak governance, weak institutions, and entrenched corruption.

“They are concerned that the privileges they have enjoyed will come to an end.

“That is why they are accusing the prime minister of using agencies like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to seek revenge and target his political adversaries,” Shamsul said in a statement.

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