Bill to limit PM’s tenure can still be passed this year, says analyst

2026-03-03 - 03:14

Yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat failed to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure, falling two votes short of the required two-thirds majority of 148 MPs. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: The constitutional amendment bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years could still be passed by Parliament this year despite failing in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, says an analyst. Syahruddin Awang Ahmad of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said yesterday’s failure to get two-thirds of the MPs to support the bill did not mark the end of the proposed reform, but allowed room for improvements. He said the government could still table the bill in the second parliamentary meeting of the year, from June 22 to July 16, or the third meeting from Oct 5 to Dec 8. “This failure is not the end. Rather, it’s an important lesson on the need for more inclusive political diplomacy with all parties. “Continuous efforts will be necessary to persuade MPs who are apprehensive and do not see the importance of limiting the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years,” he told FMT. Yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat failed to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure, falling two votes short of the required two-thirds majority of 148 MPs. Deputy speaker Alice Lau later revealed that eight MPs from the government bloc were absent during the vote, although all of Pakatan Harapan’s MPs were present and supported the bill. A source told FMT that the government MPs who were absent were Hishammuddin Hussein (Sembrong), M Saravanan (Tapah), Larry Sng (Julau), Henry Sum Agong (Lawas), Suhaimi Nasir (Libaran), Riduan Rubin (Tenom), Jeffrey Kitingan (Keningau) and Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang). The bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure was among the key institutional reforms that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim outlined at the start of the year as part of the government’s agenda to bolster good governance and strengthen democracy. Other proposed reforms that Anwar’s administration is seeking to implement this year include the separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor’s roles as well as the Ombudsman Malaysia and Freedom of Information bills. Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said the bill to limit the prime minister’s term was not merely cosmetic but reflected the government’s commitment to establishing preventive measures to curb the abuse of power. “Limitless power could turn a leader into an invincible political ‘king’, closing the door to reforms and killing off meritocracy. “This bill is the final bulwark against the excesses of power, and delaying it is akin to allowing dictators to possibly lead the country one day.”