.jpg "Ramkarpal Singh speaks to reporters outside the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur on June 20, 2018. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KUALA LUMPUR Nov 17 ― Putrajaya should impose a limit on the Prime Minister’s term in office by means of convention until the required numbers can be achieved in Parliament to amend the Federal Constitution, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh has said.
“The federal government must follow Penang’s example by similarly limiting the term of the prime minister as how it limits the term of chief minister, although it may face challenges in doing so as Pakatan Harapan does not currently enjoy a two third majority in Parliament unlike the Penang state government,” he said.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said that the Penang government must be commended for having the courage to amend its constitution to limit the term of the Chief Minister to two.
“Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has demonstrated great wisdom in leading his administration towards this end, which is in line with the PH manifesto in 14th general election.
“There can be no doubt that limiting the term of the chief minister is a step in the right direction as this would encourage greater accountability on their part and would also motivate them to bring the state to greater heights since the individuals knows that their term is limited,” he said.
Ramkarpal said he feels hat the appropriate limit would be three terms as policies introduced often take time to mature before they can be judged whether it is successful or not.
“Limiting to two terms might be too short for a head of state to prove him or herself in this regard. However, one term may not necessarily last a full five years, which can limit the chief minister’s term to less than 10 years,” he added.
