PUTRAJAYA: The Bill to limit the Prime Minister’s tenure to two full terms is meant to strengthen governance and prevent power abuse, rather than to restrict a capable leader, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman (pic).
“It is not about limiting a person. It is about not allowing someone to abuse power,” said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform)
“It is about preventing the mindset of being untouchable and (that one) can carry on ruling forever,” she said at a town hall session on the proposed Bill.
With the Prime Minister’s post being one of the most powerful positions under the Federal Constitution, Azalina said institutional safeguards are necessary.
The minister also said the Bill will involve a constitutional amendment, which she hopes to table during the current Parliament sitting.
However, she said that lawmakers must first agree on key aspects, including the precise definition of the term limit and whether it should be set at two terms or capped at 10 years.
She said discussions are also needed on enforcement, including whether the limit would apply retrospectively or prospectively, and whether it would cover only consecutive terms or also non-consecutive terms served at different periods.
“I will present the policy decision. If approved by the Cabinet and formulated as a constitutional amendment, I will table it to all Members of Parliament by bloc,” she added, Bernama reported.
Meanwhile, a public consultation by the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) has found that majority are in favour of introducing a term limit for the office of Prime Minister.
The division’s deputy director-general (policy and development), Datuk S Punitha said the study gathered responses from 3,722 participants through a week-long public poll.
The results showed that 89.90% agreed with the principle of capping the tenure, while 8.27% disagreed and 1.75% were unsure.
“On the specific limit, 62.25% of respondents supported a cap of two terms, followed by 20.61% who favoured a maximum of 10 years,” she said.
The study further indicated that 58.97% support applying the limit retrospectively, taking into account service before any amendment, whereas 35.46% preferred it to apply prospectively.
The study also found that 67.60% agreed the Prime Minister’s total tenure should be calculated cumulatively, whether served consecutively or not.
Punitha said beyond public consultation, the division conducted a comparative study of best practices from 14 countries, both constitutional monarchies and republics, that practice such limits for their leaders.
“Countries that cap their leaders’ tenures do so to prevent a concentration of power, encourage leadership renewal and strengthen the system of checks and balances,” she explained.
