Nearly 90% of Malaysians back PM term limits
PUTRAJAYA: An overwhelming majority of Malaysians support introducing a term limit for the Prime Minister.
A public consultation by the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) found 89.90% of respondents agreed with the principle of capping the tenure.
The study gathered responses from 3,722 participants through a week-long public poll.
Only 8.27% disagreed with the idea, while 1.75% were unsure.
On the specific limit, 62.25% of respondents supported a cap of two terms.
A further 20.61% favoured a maximum of 10 years in office.
The study also indicated that 58.97% support applying the limit retrospectively.
This would take into account service before any constitutional amendment is made.
A majority of 67.60% agreed the Prime Minister’s total tenure should be calculated cumulatively.
This applies whether the terms are served consecutively or not.
On the consequential effect for the Cabinet, 39.84% believed the procedure should be set by the Constitution or law.
Meanwhile, 37.99% were in favour of the entire Cabinet resigning alongside the Prime Minister.
BHEUU deputy director-general Datuk S Punitha said 73.05% of respondents believed a term limit would not affect the King’s discretionary powers.
She stated these powers would remain intact.
Punitha added that the BHEUU conducted a comparative study of practices from 14 countries.
These included both constitutional monarchies and republics that practice such limits for their leaders.
“Countries that cap their leaders’ tenures do so to prevent a concentration of power, encourage leadership renewal and strengthen the system of checks and balances,” she explained.
