Malaysia’s prime minister term-limit bill is ready, awaiting House leader’s decision

Malaysia’s bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure is ready for a second reading, but its parliamentary future now rests with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in his role as Leader of the House.

Azalina Othman Said, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reform, said the government had completed the bill. She said the decision on whether to table it for a vote in the next parliamentary session would depend on Anwar.

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The bill to limit the prime minister’s term is fully ready.

The proposal requires amendments to Malaysia’s Federal Constitution. It therefore needs the support of two-thirds of Parliament before it can pass. The same supermajority requirement applies to a separate bill seeking to divide the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor.

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It is subject to the Leader of the House, namely the prime minister, whether we want to bring it to a vote in this parliamentary session.

Azalina also appealed to lawmakers from all political parties to support the separation-of-powers bill. She said the measure would benefit the country and could reduce perceptions that prosecutions in particular cases are politically motivated.

The minister made the comments after launching a public opinion survey on the drafting of a Coroner’s Bill at the Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

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I appeal to all members of Parliament. The bill we have prepared is something good, and it can somewhat reduce perceptions of political prosecution in any case.