KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): Civil society groups have welcomed the government's plan to table a bill in Parliament to limit the tenure of the prime minister to two terms, describing the move as a major step towards strengthening governance in Malaysia.
Limiting the prime minister’s tenure is a “positive leap” and should be supported by all parties, including the opposition bloc, said electoral reform group Bersih in a post on social media platform X on Monday.
Its chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said term limits are expected to reduce the risk of abuse of power by preventing the prolonged centralisation of authority. In addition, limiting the tenure could encourage a prime minister to implement policies and programmes more efficiently, ultimately benefitting the public.
Muhammad Faisal added that the proposal could also open opportunities for younger political leaders, promoting healthier political competition and enabling new talent to emerge on the national stage.
“If implemented, Malaysia would become a trailblazer among Westminster nations,” he said, adding that the move, alongside the reintroduction of the Parliamentary Services Act 2025, would further strengthen the accountability of the prime minister and the Cabinet to Parliament.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his New Year’s address to civil servants, announced that his administration aims to implement a slew of institutional reforms this year, including a two-term or 10-year limit on the premiership.
He said the government would table a parliamentary bill to cap the tenure of prime ministers, a measure that formed part of Pakatan Harapan’s election pledges in 2022.
Three other bills are also expected to be tabled this year, covering the separation of roles of the attorney general and public prosecutor, the establishment of an ombudsman and the introduction of freedom of information legislation.
Meanwhile, Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) called for the four major legislative proposals to be carefully reviewed by Parliament before being passed into law.
The group described the package as a meaningful set of institutional reforms that, if robustly formulated, could significantly strengthen checks and balances in Malaysia’s governance system.
Projek Sama urged the government to refer the draft bills to the Parliamentary Select Committee for Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform prior to parliamentary voting.
Alternatively, the group said the bills should be tabled early enough to allow parliamentarians and the public sufficient time to study and deliberate on them before the second reading, with genuine opportunities for amendments during the committee stage.
The group also emphasised that the appointment process for the public prosecutor must be transparent, merit-based and independent of executive control, ensuring that the officeholder can operate free from undue influence.