THE bumbling walkout staged by the new opposition bloc must have been a strange experience for both sides of Parliament. Just a few months ago, both sides were looking at each other from opposite ends of the House, with only PAS sitting on the same side as it is now.

Under the previous administration, things were difficult for opposition MPs. The Dewan Rakyat speaker was deemed biased due to several rulings he had made, such as the decision not to debate the 1Malaysia Development Bhd issue, throwing out a few opposition MPs, and the extended amounts of time and leeway given to government MPs to explain themselves away.

With the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, House Committee, Public Accounts Committee and most select committees headed and dominated by Barisan Nasional backbenchers, there was little in terms of checks and balances within the highest law-making body in Malaysia.

The mainstream media, too, did not offer much publicity to what opposition leaders had to say, unless it was to bash another opposition leader, or if they were involved in a scandal.

Therefore, over the years, the opposition had to resort to gimmicks to make itself heard. Motions like the RM1 pay cut, calling for royal inquiries and to refer the prime minister or a key cabinet member to face censure were popular ways to make the opposition appear in the Chinese media, apart from appearing in photos pointing at potholes or broken street lights.

That should not be the case – at least, not any more. Not in “Malaysia Baru”, which promises more room for dissent, debate and disagreement.

But to be an effective opposition, those who find themselves on that side of the fence should regroup, re-strategise and rebrand themselves.

And, a good start would be to stop sulking over their loss, and to accept it and get over it.

The new opposition needs to adjust to life with new realities – much less funds and political clout. Even without intervention or restrictions, media attention tends to gravitate towards power and those who wield it. This is natural, as news articles often contain policy statements that affect regulators, businesses and private citizens.

Calling for press conferences without the weight of authority that comes with, say, a ministerial office, would require properly researched issues, exposes on wrongdoings, or criticism backed by action plans or proof.

BN components have an added advantage in being the opposition, as they have intimate knowledge of the government machinery, including its weaknesses, which may not have been discovered yet by the new Pakatan Harapan government.

In PH’s first 100 days in power, issues raised by citizens include the opposition appearing to have yet to champion on a noticeable scale concerns about the re-implementation of the sales and services tax, closure of businesses due to the crackdown on illegal workers or the idea of another national car project. Even the issue raised over the election of the new Dewan Rakyat speaker could have been done properly.

Perhaps, because of the way the opposition had raised the issues – tinged with a generous dose of self-righteousness, or lacking humility – the focus is on the delivery method, and the topic discussed is lost in the statement.

You cannot simply go from dissing human rights, freedom of assembly and the right to dissent one day, to crying “but it’s a new Malaysia, what?” the next without acknowledging your own contribution to the decay in the “reformed” system you now wish to take advantage of.

One opposition leader who stands out in this respect is Khairy Jamaluddin, who has successfully distanced himself from the 1MDB issue and the fumbling antics of his party peers. If more of BN’s leaders were to emulate him instead of dwelling on the antiquated and dangerous rhetoric of race and religion, we stand to build a proper system of checks and balances, and hopefully, a viable two-party system. – July 18, 2018.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.