PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today hinted at the possibility of tabling a Bill to limit the prime minister’s term this year, reviving a reform pledge that was among Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) key electoral promises.

Anwar announced the move at a New Year’s special assembly held here, where he was flanked by Cabinet ministers.

The PH chairman said the Bill would likely be tabled at the upcoming Parliament sitting at the end of January, alongside another proposed law to separate the powers of the attorney general and the public prosecutor.

“Every position should have a term limit… this includes the prime minister’s, so we will table a Bill to limit the term of a prime minister to 10 years,” he said.

“This is what we will do for this year, and at the upcoming Parliament proceeding. The first Bill to be tabled will be the separation of the AG and prosecutors’ powers,” Anwar said.

“Second, every position should have a term limit. KSN (chief secretary), cannot hold the post for decades. This will apply to all (civil service) posts. Because we should have tried to do everything that we can (while in that position). And once done, we must hand it over to the next generation.

“This will also include the prime minister’s, so we will table a Bill to limit the term of a prime minister to not more than 10 years or two terms,” he said.

PH had long pushed for the limit to a sitting prime minister’s term, making it among the reform promises that sought to limit the powers of those holding the highest office that it said had been abused by previous Barisan Nasional-led administrations.

The pledge was seemingly put in the backseat as the Anwar government made little indication it would table the Bill in the two years since it took power. 

Today’s announcement came as the ruling coalition faces mounting criticism that it’s backtracking on crucial institutional reforms. 

For the Bill to pass, Anwar would need two-thirds support from the Lower House to insert the term limit into the Constitution. 

The Opposition have voiced their support for any plans to curtail the PM’s powers.

The Anwar government is also set to table the Freedom of Information Bill and the Ombudsman Bill this year, another key reform pledge to increase public service accountability first mooted as far back as 20 years ago, during the leadership of fifth prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Ombudsman is either a neutral official or body appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against a company or organisation, especially a public authority.

“This is an institution that will give people the avenue to raise any complaints against anyone without exceptions, from the prime minister all the way to the lowest civil servant,” Anwar said.