PUTRAJAYA, Jan 29 — Nearly nine in 10 respondents support imposing a limit on the Malaysian prime minister’s tenure, with a clear majority favouring a two-term cap over a fixed maximum of 10 years, according to a government survey.
Deputy director general (Policy & Development), Legal Affairs Division, Datuk Punitha Silivarajoo said 89.9 per cent of respondents agreed that there should be a maximum limit on the prime minister’s tenure.
A total of 3,722 respondents were polled in the survey, which ran from January 22 to 28.
“Among all respondents, 62.25 per cent opted for a two-term limit for the prime minister, compared with 20.61 per cent who backed a maximum tenure of 10 years.
“The remaining 17.14 per cent favoured having no limit or supported other alternatives.
“More than half also favoured either consecutive or non-consecutive service counted towards the maximum tenure limit, at 67.60 per cent,” she told a town hall session on the proposal to limit the prime minister’s tenure at the Legal Affairs Division here.
She said there were key differences in the implementation of the two tenure limit options, most notably in terms of the handover of the prime minister.
While a two-term limit would pose no handover issues, a 10-year limit would require constitutional clarity on whether the prime minister must resign immediately upon reaching the maximum number of years in office, even if Parliament has yet to be dissolved.
“This would affect the Cabinet’s position, as the prime minister serves as the chair of the Cabinet under Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution,” she said.
On this matter, Punitha said opinions were divided, with the majority supporting the Cabinet’s position being determined by the Federal Constitution at 39.84 per cent, followed by those who favoured the entire Cabinet resigning alongside the prime minister at 37.99 per cent and those who supported only the prime minister stepping down at 20.47 per cent.
Nevertheless, she said an overwhelming majority, 73.05 per cent, agreed that imposing a term limit on the prime minister would not encroach on the authority of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Punitha said 58.97 per cent of respondents also supported making the calculation of the maximum term retrospective, meaning a hypothetical prime minister’s existing years of service in office would be counted towards the term limit.
By contrast, 35.46 per cent favoured a prospective approach, under which a prime minister’s past years in office would be excluded from the term limit.
Also present during the town hall session was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the federal government would push for a new law to limit the tenure of the prime minister to two full terms, or a maximum of 10 years.
The constitutional amendment process is expected to begin in February at the Dewan Rakyat.
