KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Monday introduced legislation aimed at capping the tenure of the country’s prime minister to a maximum of two terms, a move seen as a step toward enhancing accountability and curbing excessive executive power.
The Southeast Asian nation currently imposes no limit on the number of terms a prime minister can serve.
Former leader Mahathir Mohamad held office for 24 years across two separate periods – from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.
Current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced in January his intention to pursue a two-term limit, amid growing calls for stronger anti-corruption measures and improved governance.
The ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had included a two-term cap on the premiership in its 2022 election manifesto, according to AFP.
However, critics have voiced concerns over the slow pace of reform, suggesting the move could be aimed at regaining urban voter support ahead of general elections scheduled for next year.
Anwar last week clarified that, if implemented, the law would apply to him first. He argued that a 10-year period is adequate for officeholders to fulfill their responsibilities effectively.
“I won’t be making laws for other people. The law must be applied to me first,” he stated.
For the proposed amendment to pass, it must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of lawmakers – 148 out of 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s lower house of parliament.
At present, there is no constitutional restriction on the length of a prime minister’s service, provided the individual maintains majority support in parliament.
