KUCHING: The move to introduce a 10-year limit on the Prime Minister’s tenure is timely and likely to gain swift, bipartisan support in Parliament despite the scale of the constitutional reform involved, says geostrategist Prof Dr Azmi Hassan.
He said the proposal should not be viewed as being rushed, noting that the idea had been in discussion throughout the current administration’s tenure and reflects strong political will from the prime minister himself.
“I don’t consider the prime minister’s announcement on the tenure limitation as a very fast pace.
“The Prime Minister has been in office for three years, and although the announcement may have come as a surprise, it cannot be considered rushed,” he told Sarawak Tribune when contacted today (Jan 6).
Azmi described the reform as significant, given that it requires amendments to the Federal Constitution, but stressed that the timing was appropriate.
“This is a huge-scale reform because it needs constitutional amendment. In a way, the time is right and I appreciate what the prime minister is trying to do.
“It takes a lot of political will because it affects the prime minister himself by limiting the position to two terms, or 10 years,” he said.
He believes the Bill could progress smoothly once tabled, citing broad acceptance across the political divide.
“I think it can move very fast because on all sides, government and opposition.I don’t see any reason why any party would oppose this amendment.
“Yes, the government has a two-thirds majority, but support from both sides of Parliament is important, and I think it spells good for the country,” he added.
According to him, imposing a term limit reflects political maturity and aligns Malaysia with practices in established democracies.
“Most mature democracies have this kind of limit. When someone remains too long in top leadership, new ideas tend to become stagnant.
“A 10-year limit allows leadership renewal so new ideas can be infused,” he explained.
Azmi also drew parallels with the recent constitutional amendments on citizenship, which passed with near-unanimous support following stakeholder consultation.
“That Bill moved very fast because of its objective and context.
“Similarly, I believe the prime minister’s term-limit Bill will also progress quickly and is likely to receive near-unanimous backing.”
He added that the clarity of purpose and national interest behind the reform are key drivers for its expected smooth passage.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Bill would likely be tabled at the upcoming Parliament sitting at the end of January.
“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,” said Anwar.
