Oppose government proposal for FIXED TERM Prime Minister unless the the requirement for the PM to resign if and when he loses the confidence of the majority of MPs still remains.
This may be, if I am not wrong, an attempt to ensure the Prime Minister remains the Prime Minister for the entire time from one General Election to the next. This means even a PM who loses the support of majority MPs will continue to remain Prime Minister - and this is so wrong...We must see what exactly is being proposed whether it is just to fix the maximum term limit, or an attempt to ensure that a PM can remain PM even if he/she loss the majority support of MPs...We will discuss both.
Now, in Malaysia, a Prime Minister is chosen by the Members of Parliament/MP(that represents the people in the respective Constituency - the peoples' representative). A MP who gets the support of the majority of MPs, i.e. more than 50% of MPs, is appointed Prime Minister. If he/she at any time loses the support of the majority of MPs, he/she will have to resign or ask the King to dissolve Parliament leading the way to a new General Elections - the King decides, and if he decides not to dissolve Parliament, will appoint a NEW Prime Minister, who has the support of the majority.
We do not want a Prime Minister, even Anwar Ibrahim, to remain the Prime Minister if he loses the support of the majority of the MPs, i.e. the majority support of the people. It will be FOOLISH to suffer under an unwanted Prime Minister.
## Sadly, in Malaysia, one wonders whether MPs truly act as peoples' representatives, or whether they act based on party orders, or personal 'benefits'(which include monies, Cabinet positions, or positions in some GLCs or government bodies - which provide monies and power). Should we make illegal any agreement or provisions in Party Constitution that 'forces' a MP to do only as ordered/instructed by party including his/her support for a person to be a Prime Minister - that 'confidence' naturally must be up to the MP only - there must be no threat or inducement for his/her personal 'confidence' that someone should be or remain or be removed as Prime Minister.
Does Anwar still have the support of the majority of MPs - maybe at the begining of every new Parliamentary SESSION, the 1st thing that ought to be done after the royal address is a VOTE to prove that Anwar still enjoys the confidence of the majority...what do you think?
Of late, during the PN-BN reign, when Muhyiddin lost the support of the majority presumably - Ismail Sabri from the same coalition became the new Prime Minister - as he had the majority support of the MPs. When Mahathir allegedly lost the support of the majority of MPs when BERSATU and several MPs left the PH, he rightfully resigned - and left it to MPs as to who a majority of them to be the Prime Minister. [This is what happens in most democracies - PMs change when they lose majority support...]
UNLESS, there is an OVERHAUL that maybe now allows the people to VOTE and chose a Prime Minister, as they do in Republic Models like the US and Turkey - where the President is chosen by the people through elections for a fixed term - If Anwar Ibrahim stood for elections, and the people could vote for the Prime Minister, would he be elected? A vote for PH during GE15 should not be interpreted as a vote for Anwar Ibrahim to be Prime Minister.
Personally, I prefer the people deciding on who should be Prime Minister - rather than leaving it to MPs, who tend to follow party orders rather than their own personal position or the position of his/her constituents - the people.
Changing the SYSTEM also means a more effective separation between the Executive branch of Government, and the Legislative Branch(Parliament)
The government first came up with a proposal of LIMITING the term of the Prime Minister to 2 terms, but now something else creeps in, i.e. FIXED term of Prime Minister - again, this is not right, for who will be Prime Minister and remain Prime Minister depends on who gets the MAJORITY SUPPORT of the MPs( i.e. the people through their peoples' representative) - so, if an MP like Mahathir continued to get majority support, why should he not be Prime Minister?
'LIMITING TERM' was first raised, but now, it seems it is also about FIXED TERM for the Prime Minister...maybe that was the real OBJECT - so, Anwar Ibrahim can remain PM until GE16, even if lose majority support. What do you think? I could be wrong.
The government will refer its proposal to introduce a fixed-term limit for the prime minister to all political parties.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the move was necessary as the change would have far-reaching implications on the country's political system and leadership structure.
"Before we can proceed with drafting the law, we must secure feedback and consensus from all political parties.
Why only the views of POLITICAL PARTIES - seek the view of ALL people of Malaysia... A referendum maybe??
In US and Turkey, there is the Presidential Elections where ALL the people (not just MPs) vote to choose the President. Should we have a similar system in Malaysia - where the Prime Minister is elected by the people? Maybe, we should call it 'PRESIDENT' rather than Prime Minister...
Then, the President decides on his/her OWN 'Cabinet' - whereby the names of President's nominees for Cabinet position will be tabled in Parliament - and will need Parliament approval - good idea, as today, some of our Ministers really may not be the BEST choice. In that system, there is NO requirement for a member of Cabinet to be a MP or Senator - that means the President/Prime Minister can bring in who he considers BEST for the said position - better maybe.
A change into a Presidential system also may be better - as it clearly separates the Executive Branch of Government from the Legislature(Parliament) - so Parliament will not have MP who is Prime Minister or Minister >> and so all MPs will then be able to play the 'check and balance' role to monitor the Executive branch(PM and his Cabinet) - Now, in Malaysia, because of a large Cabinet, how many MPs are both in the Executive and in Parliament?
Elections in Turkey are held for six functions of government: presidential elections (national), parliamentary elections (national), municipality mayors (local), district mayors (local), provincial or municipal council members (local) and muhtars (local).
## A muhtar is the elected village head in villages of Turkey.. Muhtars and their village councils are elected during local elections for five years. However, political parties are not permitted to nominate candidates for these posts.
In Malaysia, DEMOCRACY ought to be prioritized - people should elect, end 'political appointments'
1 - Restore LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Local Council Elections) - People elect the Mayor/President of Local Councils, and the Local Councillors. ...just like Turkey and elsewhere.
2. Enable Local Community Elections at the kampung,, kampung Barus and Taman levels (like in Turkey, where the term is for 5 years) In Malaysia, it may better if the term is for 2-3 years. Such election also happen in neighbouring Thailand. Like in Turkey, for this level, maybe political parties not allowed to contest.
3 - Election of SENATORS by the people
Malaysian Senate has 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the state legislative assemblies, with two senators for each state, while the other 44 are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), including four who are appointed to represent the federal territories. In short, the majority of the Senators will always be political appointees of the Federal Government - making it to unlikely be a workable 'check and balance' of the Executive(PM and Cabinet) - a problem with political appointees??? So, just ABOLISH Senate or allow the people to elect Senators directly.We can have ELECTION for Senators - the Constitution says so. Will Senate oppose government proposals? Yes, when there are a change of government, when the old government appointed Senators still remain - noting their term is fixed for 3 years. After GE14, in the early stage we had this situation... After GE15, the problem seem to be not so evident...
Art 45(4) Federal Constitution Parliament may by law—
(a) increase to three the number of members to be elected for each State;
(b) provide that the members to be elected for each State shall be so elected by the direct vote of the electors of that State;
(c) decrease the number of appointed members or abolish appointed members.
Maybe, we should also consider AGE LIMIT for Prime Minister, and Ministers. In Malaysia, the retirement age for Judges is 66 years, and there is a rationale there - AGE affects capacity, mental ability, etc in some cases Should we limit the AGE of Prime Ministers, to not more than 66 or maybe 70?
Oops, Anwar is now 77??? Has AGE affected his competency - do they have a law requiring medical and psychological evaluation be done annually? Dementia can affect the quality of leadership - and no one is generally safe from some of these 'old age' ailments. Anwar fumbled in a TV interview in recognizing Israel, and its right to self-defence...Zahid also fumbled at a Palestinian rally shouting 'Hidup Israel' Should we ensure HEALTH of PM and Ministers, for after all they make very important decisions affecting the Malaysian people - a mandatory annual health check-up, results to be submitted to Parliament?
Govt seeks feedback from all political parties on fixed term for PM
PUTRAJAYA: The government will refer its proposal to introduce a fixed-term limit for the prime minister to all political parties.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the move was necessary as the change would have far-reaching implications on the country's political system and leadership structure.
"Before we can proceed with drafting the law, we must secure feedback and consensus from all political parties.
"This is not a unilateral decision. Any law affecting political leadership must be discussed thoroughly with those directly involved," she said.
Azalina said the idea of limiting a prime minister's tenure to two terms, or introducing a fixed-term system, could not be viewed in isolation as it would also impact state-level leadership, including the chief minister and menteri besar.
"A law like this must consider both federal and state implications. If we decide on a fixed-term prime minister, what about the states? Will the same principle apply to the heads of state governments?" she said.
She added that the proposal had received generally positive initial responses from political parties, but Putrajaya was still awaiting written feedback.
"We've already engaged with several parties, and they've been given time to study the proposal and submit their views in writing.
"Most seem supportive in principle, but the finer details, such as scope, definitions and implementation, still need thorough discussion," she said.
Azalina said the government remains committed to a democratic and consultative approach in implementing reforms, including those concerning political financing.
"Political financing laws, too, cannot just apply at the federal level. They must also address implications for state elections and campaign funding structures," she added.
She said consultations with relevant agencies, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Election Commission, were ongoing as part of the engagement process.- NST, 21/4/2025
Malaysia’s third push for a two-term PM limit: What led to this, and how does it compare globally?
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has openly backed a proposal to cap the Malaysian prime minister’s tenure at two terms or 10 years.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who mooted the idea at the party’s national congress last week, urged Anwar to push for the reform within the next two years.
To date, only two of Malaysia’s 10 prime ministers have served for more than 10 years: the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman (1955-1969) and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who holds the record as the longest-serving prime minister with 22 years in office during his first tenure (1981-2003).
Setting a two-term limit for the prime minister has long been a pledge of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
In December 2019, the PH government led by Dr Mahathir tabled a bill to amend the Federal Constitution and introduce the reform. However, the bill was withdrawn in August 2020 after a unanimous Cabinet decision under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.
The proposal resurfaced in September 2021, when then-prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob agreed to introduce a 10-year limit in exchange for opposition support for his government.
A draft Bill was reportedly ready for tabling in February 2022, but it never materialised, as Parliament was dissolved in October that year ahead of the 15th general election.
Anwar’s most recent push was however opposed by Islamist party PAS, with president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang claiming that limiting the prime minister’s tenure “goes against God’s will” since the post should not be “a temporary position to be passed around”.
This was despite PAS previously supporting a similar proposal back in 1999 when it was part of the Barisan Alternatif coalition.
What is the constitutional process?
Legal experts say implementing a two-term limit will require an amendment to Article 43 of the Federal Constitution.
Article 43(2)(a) states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint as prime minister a member of the House of Representatives who, in his judgment, commands the confidence of the majority in the House.
In the 2019 draft bill, the PH government sought to add an additional criterion: “...who has not at any time held the office of PM for two terms at Parliament.”
Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood, a law expert from Multimedia University, said the amendment would require a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Meanwhile, constitutional lawyer Bastian Pius Vendargon said it would also need the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as well as a two-thirds majority in both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
However, both experts agreed that the amendment would not require the consent of the Conference of Rulers since it does not affect their rights or privileges.
“Article 38(2)(c) of the Federal Constitution allows the Conference of Rulers to deliberate on laws and policy matters, but this is different from requiring their consent.
“Their approval is only necessary for certain categories of legislation, such as citizenship rights,” Bastian said.
Countries with term limits for top office
In the United States, the president can only serve a maximum of two four-year terms. This was introduced under the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, which came into effect six years after the country’s longest-serving president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, died in 1945 after 13 years in office.
Closer to home, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines also have term limits.
In Thailand, a prime minister can only serve a maximum of eight years, whether consecutively or non-consecutively. This was implemented in the country’s 2017 Constitution.
Indonesia limits both its president and vice-president to two five-year terms, or 10 years. Prior to capping the presidential term limit in 1999, Indonesia was ruled by only two leaders — President Sukarno and General Suharto — for over 50 years.
The Philippines enforces an even stricter rule, capping the presidency at a single six-year term. The restriction was introduced in 1987, following the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for 20 years. - Malay Mail, 5/4/2025
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