Opposition (Malaysia)

Leader of the Opposition of Malaysia Ketua Pembangkang Malaysia
Incumbent Anwar Ibrahim since 28 August 2008
Style	Yang Berhormat (The Honourable) As a member of the Dewan Rakyat
Term length	While leader of the largest coalition not in government
Inaugural holder	Tan Chee Khoon
Formation	1964

Malaysia
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The Opposition in Malaysia is the group of political parties represented in the Parliament of Malaysia that are not in government either on their own or as part of a governing coalition. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet, rather than the state.

The title Official Opposition, used in most of the other member nations of the Commonwealth of Nations to designate the political party not in government with the largest number of parliamentary seats, is rarely used in Malaysia. It is common practice to refer to such a party simply as the Opposition, or by the party name.

Theoretically, according to the system of Westminster Democracy upon which the Malaysian political system is loosely based, the Opposition is seen as the alternative government and prepared to assume office should the incumbent government be defeated at a general election. Due to the domination of the Barisan Nasional (and its predecessor, the Alliance) coalition of the parliament since independence, this perception is generally not acknowledged and recognized by Malaysians, though the recent elections in 2008 have caused Anwar Ibrahim to declare the Opposition the "government in waiting".

Leader of the Opposition

As in nearly every parliamentary democracy around the world, the Leader of the Opposition comes from the political party with the largest number of seats in the Parliament yet is not in government. The Leader of the Opposition is often seen as a Prime Minister-in-waiting.

List of Leaders of the Opposition

Following the resignation of Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of the People's Justice Party (PKR) on July 31, 2008, and Anwar Ibrahim's victory in Permatang Pauh on August 26, 2008, Anwar was declared the Leader of the Opposition. Together with Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), they form Pakatan Rakyat.

The position of the Leader of the Opposition has generally been filled by members of PAS or the DAP, but on two occasions has included the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) in a joint leadership with the DAP and, more recently, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

The list of Leaders of the Opposition include:

No.	Name Constituency (Birth–Death)	Picture	Party Coalition	Took office	Left office
-	Burhanuddin al-Helmy MP for Besut (1911-1969) Unofficial	-	PAS	1959	1964
1	Tan Chee Khoon MP for Batu (1919-1996)		Labour	1964	1969
2	Mohamed Asri Muda MP for Pasir Puteh (1923-1992)	[[1]]	PAS	1971	1973
3	Lim Kit Siang MP for Kota Melaka (b. 1941)		DAP	1973	24 August 1974
4	James Wong MP for Miri-Lubis (1922-2011)		SNAP	24 August 1974	30 October 1974
5	Edmund Langgu Saga MP for Saratok (b. 1936)	-	SNAP	30 October 1974	1975
(3)	Lim Kit Siang MP for Kota Melaka, Petaling Jaya, Tanjong (b. 1941)		DAP	1975	29 November 1999
6	Fadzil Noor MP for Pendang (1937-2002)	-	PAS Barisan Alternatif	29 November 1999	23 July 2002
7	Abdul Hadi Awang MP for Marang (b. 1947)		PAS Barisan Alternatif	23 July 2002	21 March 2004
(3)	Lim Kit Siang MP for Ipoh Timur (b. 1941)		DAP	21 March 2004	8 March 2008
8	Wan Azizah Wan Ismail MP for Permatang Pauh (b. 1952)	100px	PKR Pakatan Rakyat	9 March 2008	28 August 2008
9	Anwar Ibrahim MP for Permatang Pauh (b. 1947)		PKR Pakatan Rakyat	28 August 2008	Incumbent

See also

• Parliamentary opposition
• Loyal opposition
• Barisan Alternatif and Barisan/Pakatan Rakyat
• List of political parties in Malaysia
• Dewan Rakyat