MalayMail-Jan 11
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced that the federal government will push for a new law to limit the tenure of the prime minister to two full terms, or a maximum of 10 years. Malaysia previously attempted to introduce a two-term limit for the prime minister, but the effort was abandoned midway. Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint a member of the Dewan Rakyat to be the prime minister. At present, the only condition under Article 43(2)(a) is that the Agong must be satisfied that the individual is “likely” to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The 2019 Bill proposed adding just one additional line to Article 43(2)(a): “who has not at any time held the office of Prime Minister for two terms of Parliament”. The federal government must table a fresh Bill in Parliament to impose a limit on the prime minister’s tenure. On January 5, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the constitutional amendment process is expected to begin in February at the Dewan Rakyat. If passed by the Dewan Rakyat, the Bill will move to the Dewan Negara, which will also meet three times this year. On September 24, 2022, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state Cabinet had agreed in principle to a two-term limit for the chief minister, subject to consensus among state assemblymen. What about Malaysia’s ASEAN neighbors? Among the 11 ASEAN member states, six have term limits for their leaders — mostly presidents. They are Laos, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam do not have stated term limits for their heads of government. Read more at:
