The Functions of the Opposition

A Member of Parliament plays several roles in the legislature, sometimes summarized as a legislator enacting laws, a representative of his or her constituents, a scrutinizer of the work of the executive, and a supporter or critic of proposals laid before the House. Members of the opposition must accept that opportunities for their work as initiators of legislation will be limited but their role as representatives is undiminished and greater burdens devolve on opposition Members than on government backbenchers in regard to scrutiny and oversight.

At the same time, the opposition has a duty to themselves and to their voters to play the role of an alternative government and indeed, the role of a government in waiting. In the more mature democracies, this is well recognized and the leader of the largest opposition party is often given access to sensitive information on the basis that he or she, as the Prime Minister in waiting, has to be ready to perform the role of running the country at comparatively short notice. The opposition has the responsibility to give attention to the continuous development of its policies and to keep these in view before parliament and the people. The major challenge for the opposition is its need to be seen as credible in this role. In order to do that it must be as responsible, respected and united as a political party and it must create policies that are relevant to the day-to-day lives of people.  Parliament provides a good forum for an effective opposition and must be used as such.

The government also has its responsibilities to the opposition. In the first instance, sufficient resources should be provided for carrying out the work of a ‘loyal opposition’. There must be an adequate level of access to sources of information including those available to Ministers and their civil servants and for fair advice from parliamentary officials including parliamentary counsel or draftsmen where such persons are available. There must be some funding for publicity and for use of the media. Finally there must be recognition of the special place of the Leader of the Opposition and front-bench opposition spokespersons. It is instructive to note that, while the role of the opposition has been recognized for centuries, the payment of a salary to the Leader of the Opposition has been a practice for only a few decades even in the older parliaments.