GEORGE TOWN, June 2 — DAP’s Lim Guan Eng said he had proposed to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the last general election to allow chief ministers to only serve two terms, but it needs to be discussed further by the leadership.
 
The second-term Penang chief minister also said the issue will be brought up within his party first as it is not official DAP policy, after which allies PKR and PAS will be consulted.

“I was the one who brought it up and it was discussed with other PR leaders but we couldn’t get a consensus,” Lim said in an interview with Malay Mail Online.

The issue of limiting the terms of an individual holding the chief minister and prime minister’s post for a maximum of two terms was proposed in the state legislative assembly in May last year by DAP state assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu.

Teh has continued to raise the issue in every subsequent state assembly since. Barisan Nasional state assemblymen have also tried to table a similar proposal at the recently adjourned sitting, but their proposal was rejected.

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The US presidency is limited to two terms as well.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said the matter is a serious one as it will involve amending the state constitution, hence it is important to get consensus first.

He said he did not want to be seen as “pushing people publicly” by talking about it or pre-empting it as it will not be fair to the other allies in PR.

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“I don’t want to be accused of the same thing that we accused Hadi (Awang) of,” Lim said, referring to the PAS president whom he has accused of acting on his own without consulting PKR or the DAP.