Loke disappointed over failure to pass bill on PM’s term limit

2026-03-02 - 12:34

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said voters in favour of institutional reform should condemn and question the MPs who were absent or did not support the bill. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook expressed his disappointment after a bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat today. Loke, who is also transport minister, said all 40 MPs from DAP were present to support the bill, adding that the party had worked hard to realise its agenda of institutional reform. “A total of 146 MPs voted in favour, two votes short of the two-thirds majority required. “Civil society members and voters who want to see institutional reform should condemn and question the MPs who were absent or did not support this amendment, including those in the opposition bloc,” he said in a Facebook post. In the bloc vote this evening, 44 MPs abstained and 32 were absent. PKR MP Wong Chen also described the failure as a “major blow to the Madani government”, noting that all PKR MPs had attended and voted in favour of the amendment. “We need to find out how many Madani government MPs failed to attend,” he said. The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, tabled by law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said on Feb 23, outlines a lifetime cap on the prime ministership, with time served counted, whether continuous or across separate terms. The proposed amendment also stipulates that once the limit is reached, the prime minister and the Cabinet must step down, but the prime minister may continue in a caretaker capacity until a new one is appointed. During the debate, MPs from both sides supported the idea of a term limit, although several raised concerns about how it would be calculated and how the transition would take place when a prime minister reaches the cap. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the proposed limit would apply to him first, while Azalina said former prime ministers who have already served more than 10 years would be barred from being reappointed if the bill becomes law.