Nine civil society groups call on all MPs and Senators to support a constitutional amendment for a 10-year prime ministerial term limit, citing benefits for stability and renewal.
KUALA LUMPUR: A coalition of nine civil society organisations has urged all federal lawmakers to support a bill to impose a 10-year term limit on the prime minister’s tenure.
The groups dismissed arguments that the proposed constitutional amendment infringes upon the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s discretionary powers.
They stated the amendment is constitutional, noting Article 43 already contains specific eligibility restrictions for the office.
“The existing Article 43(7) categorically stipulates that ‘notwithstanding anything in this Article, a person who is a citizen by naturalisation or by registration under Article 17 shall not be appointed Prime Minister,’” the coalition said in a joint statement.
The CSOs listed four primary benefits of the reform, including forcing generational renewal and disciplining politics towards long-term goals.
“It would reduce political instability due to all-out political struggles between an incumbent with no retirement date and his/her challengers with no succession timetable,” they said.
The groups noted a 10-year limit would align Malaysia with a trend in parliamentary democracies like South Africa, Botswana, and Thailand.
They also urged the government to allow fine-tuning of the bill during the committee stage in parliament.
The first suggested refinement concerns the clause allowing a time-due PM to serve as a caretaker after Parliament’s dissolution.
The coalition agreed with the rationale but suggested the caretaker role should end when a new Parliament reconvenes after an election.
A second refinement addresses a scenario where a PM winning two consecutive elections cannot serve two full five-year terms.
The groups said a refinement would ensure future compatibility if a Fixed Term Parliament Act is introduced.
The joint statement was issued by Projek SAMA, Bersih, IDEAS, Rasuah Busters, and IKRAM Malaysia.
It also included the C4 Centre, ABIM, the KLSCAH, and the CSO Platform for Reforms.
The Sun Malaysia
