Anthony Loke expresses disappointment as the PM term limit amendment falls short, blaming absent MPs for the reform’s failure.
PETALING JAYA: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke (pic) expressed disappointment after the vote on the bill to limit the Prime Minister’s term to 10 years fell short in Parliament today.
The Seremban MP and transport minister said that all 40 DAP MPs were present to support the amendment, adding that the party “has worked diligently to realise this reform agenda.”
“For this amendment to pass, it required the support of two-thirds of MPs, or 148 members physically present.
“The vote in favor was 146, falling short by two votes of the two-thirds requirement,” he said in a Facebook post today.
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He also called on civil society and voters to hold MPs who did not vote accountable.
“Those who wish to see institutional reform in the country should criticise and question the MPs who were absent and did not support this amendment, including members of the opposition bloc,” he added.
Meanwhile, Subang MP Wong Chen described the failure as a major blow to the Madani Government.
“This is an embarrassing administrative failure to keep track of all our MPs and ensure their full attendance.
“Almost a full house—but for a constitutional amendment, the required votes are 148 MPs.
“We need to find out how many of the Madani government MPs failed to attend. All the PKR MPs attended and voted in favour,” he said.
In the vote this evening, the Bill received 146 votes in favor, with 44 MPs voting against and 32 absent.
This marked the first time the Bill, which proposes an amendment to Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution, was tabled, and it failed to advance to a third reading for approval.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described the Bill as a decisive step to strengthen institutions and entrench accountability at the highest level of government.
He emphasised that the proposed term limit would not affect the prerogative powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong nor alter the fundamentals of Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy.
The Sun Malaysia
