Shadow Cabinets: Bringing Parties, Not Merely Party Members, into Government
By Dr Amer Bani Amer
The debate over whether political parties are ready to govern should not become a pretext for delaying the appointment of party members to ministerial positions or excluding them from government. The participation of party members in the executive branch is necessary at every stage. It is an essential part of building a normal political life in which citizens can see that party engagement offers a legitimate path to influence and decision-making positions.
At the same time, however, we must be precise in how we describe such participation. There is a fundamental difference between a government appointing a minister simply because they belong to a political party and appointing a party leader who has been prepared in advance to manage a specific sector, has served in a “shadow cabinet,” and has contributed to developing a clear party programme for the ministry they are expected to lead.
In the first case, a party member is participating in government as an individual. In the second, the party itself—through its programme, expertise and institutional structure—is beginning to participate in governing.
I am therefore not opposed to appointing party members as ministers at any stage, even before Jordan’s party experience has fully matured. On the contrary, involving party members in government today can provide parties with valuable experience and help them understand the inner workings of government. However, such involvement should not be portrayed as fully-fledged, programme-based party participation. In most cases, it will remain an individual experience unless the minister enters government carrying their party’s programme, supported by its team and subject to its oversight and accountability.
When a party member is appointed as a minister because of their political affiliation, the government must clearly acknowledge this, and the party must publicly assume political responsibility for that participation. There is little value in appointing a party member and then presenting them, both politically and in the media, as an independent figure with no connection to their party. Publicly recognising the political basis of the appointment gives party engagement genuine value and sends a clear message to society: belonging to a political party is not a liability, but a legitimate pathway to participating in the governance of the state.
If, however, a minister joins the government in a personal capacity, without their party playing any role in nominating them, setting their priorities or monitoring their performance, their experience should not be counted as participation by the party itself. Party membership alone does not make a minister the representative of a party programme, just as the presence of several party members in a government does not necessarily make it a party-based government.
This is precisely why Jordanian political parties need to establish shadow cabinets—not as parallel authorities or as competitors to the constitutional government in the exercise of its powers, but as structured, practical training grounds for governing.
The idea is for each party to select a team whose members assume responsibility for specific portfolios, such as the economy, finance, education, health, labour and local administration. Each member would monitor the corresponding ministry, study its budget, legislation and performance indicators, engage with experts and communities affected by its policies, and then develop realistic and implementable alternatives on behalf of the party.
A shadow minister does not wait for their party to enter government before beginning to understand the sector. They prepare in advance by learning how to analyse budgets, formulate policies, manage crises, engage with the public administration, and work with Parliament, the media and public opinion. Shadow ministers would also participate with their colleagues in simulated Cabinet meetings, learning how to balance political priorities, available resources and the national interest.
When such a person is eventually nominated for a ministerial position, they would not enter office as an individual searching for an agenda after their appointment. They would enter as a party leader who understands the sector, carries a programme developed by their party and is supported by a team that has accumulated knowledge and experience. This is how we move from appointing a member of a political party to appointing a genuine representative of the party and its programme.
This distinction is equally important for accountability. A party minister in the programmatic sense does not bear responsibility alone. Their party is a partner in the policies they advance, monitors their adherence to those policies and holds them accountable for their performance. Conversely, the party cannot disown its minister when the first difficult decision arises, treating them as an individual when they fail and as a party representative when they succeed.
Shadow cabinets would also help parties identify their most capable members. Rather than allowing future appointments to remain determined by organisational seniority, media visibility or proximity to party leadership, parties would develop a record of performance showing who has acquired genuine expertise, who has produced viable alternatives, who has successfully led a team, and who is capable of making and defending difficult decisions.
This experience need not begin with large shadow cabinets or an excessive use of titles. Each party could start with a limited number of priority sectors and require each portfolio holder to prepare an annual dossier containing an assessment of the relevant ministry’s performance, the party’s proposed alternatives, its position on the budget and applicable legislation, and its plan should it assume responsibility for that sector.
In conclusion, appointing party members to ministerial positions today would be a positive step and should be encouraged, provided that the political basis of their appointment is publicly acknowledged rather than concealed or treated as a personal detail. Yet until parties gain practical experience through shadow cabinets, such appointments will essentially remain the participation of individuals acquiring governmental experience, rather than the participation of parties carrying comprehensive programmes.
A shadow cabinet is what transforms an individual experience into an institutional party exercise. It moves political parties from waiting for a share in government to preparing themselves to assume the responsibility of governing. If we want future ministers to genuinely represent their parties, we must enable those parties to begin preparing them now for what they will do on the day after they enter office.
