Not all on board with proposal to limit PM's term to 10 years

By Mohamad Al As - March 16, 2025 @ 6:19pm

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Amanah Nasional deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the proposal to limit the tenure of the prime minister had been discussed even before Pakatan Harapan came to power.

He said the proposal must be guided by clear and sincere objectives.

"The five-year term must be a full five years. This means that if there are two terms, it should be a complete 10 years."

He said a 10-year tenure ensures that the prime minister remains focused on governance.

"One term alone is not realistic. In the first term, new policies are just introduced. Their impact can only be felt in the next term."

Mujahid said a fixed tenure was important to prevent the abuse of power.

"There must be a limit, so the people know that the tenure is fixed. This prevents any misuse of power or abuse of position."

Quoting the famous adage, he said: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Subang member of parliament Wong Chen said the proposal was essential for good governance and preventing authoritarianism.

"I prefer a 10-year limit as opposed to a two-term limit, as we will have greater certainty in terms of the timing."

Wong, who is PKR Central Leadership Council member, said this would avoid the vagueness of a two-term limit and any issues over consecutive terms.

"Our country needs clear rules."

Jelebu MP Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said this was a change that needs to be made now.

Jalaluddin, who is Umno Supreme Council member, said: "The majority of MPs will support it when it is brought to the Dewan Rakyat later."

He suggested that term limits be implemented at the state level as well.

Pasir Gudang MP and government backbencher Hassan Karim questioned the necessity of a term limit, arguing that Malaysia followed the Westminster system rather than the presidential model.

"The position is prime minister, not president.

"A president is elected directly by the people through voting, whereas a prime minister — like PMX — is an MP. He becomes prime minister through a different mechanism."

Hassan argued that more important reforms should take precedence, such as preventing the prime minister from holding the finance minister portfolio.

"Even with a 10-year limit, damage can still occur," he said, pointing out that both Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had served as finance minister while leading the government.

Pas deputy president and Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man questioned the necessity of limiting the prime minister's tenure to 10 years, suggesting a longer duration instead.

"For the sake of fairness, term limits are necessary, but 10 years may not be ideal.

"A more appropriate duration would be 15 to 20 years, depending on leadership capability."

He said countries with term limits were sometimes forced to let go of highly capable leaders.

"Figures like Joko Widodo in Indonesia, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran and even Barack Obama in the United States had to step down despite still having the ability to lead."

He acknowledged that some leaders refuse to step down despite failing to govern effectively and remain in power due to electoral victories, even when facing ethical controversies.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed support for the proposal to limit the tenure of the prime minister to 10 years.

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