Arya News - The proposal to limit the tenure to 10 years is not a new concept and aligns with the Federal Constitution as part of a mature democracy, according to the Prime Minister’s senior press secretary, Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, during his briefing on Monday, March 17.
PETALING JAYA – The Opposition has been cautioned not to politicise Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s intention to limit the tenure of the Prime Minister.
The proposal to limit the tenure to 10 years is not a new concept and aligns with the Federal Constitution as part of a mature democracy, according to the Prime Minister’s senior press secretary, Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, during his briefing on Monday (March 17).
“Regarding the proposal to limit the prime ministerial tenure to a maximum of 10 years, the Prime Minister considers this to be in line with his vision and reform policy framework under the ‘Developing a Madani nation’ initiative, as it is not a new concept.
“The Prime Minister also reminded certain Opposition members not to exploit this noble intention for narrow and shallow racial politics.
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“The role and nature of the Prime Minister’s position are clearly outlined in the Federal Constitution. Setting a term limit does not contradict these fundamental principles; instead, it is a crucial step toward ensuring the maturity of the nation’s democracy.
“This proposal to limit the tenure of the PM aims to ensure the continuity of clean governance and a more organised system while preventing the centralisation of power, which could lead to corruption and abuse of authority.
“As a matter of fact, several other countries such as Indonesia have already implemented similar limits to their top leadership in the governments,” said Tunku Nashrul.
Tunku Nashrul further stated that limiting the prime ministerial tenure also considers the current and future geopolitical landscape.
“This would also require all parties to provide opportunities for fresh leadership and allow the next generation of national leaders.
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“The Prime Minister also urged members of parliament who are questioning this matter to read and understand before making baseless criticisms.
“Refer to Anwar Ibrahim’s book Membangun Negara Madani, page 181 under the title Policy Priorities for a Better Malaysia.
“The Prime Minister encourages a healthy and responsible debate on this issue which would consider future challenges as he invites all parties to contribute input toward a transparent and fair system,” said Tunku Nashrul.
On Sunday (March 16), Anwar supported a bold proposal to limit Malaysia’s prime ministerial tenure to 10 years.
“There is a proposal, and I agree with it – to cap the prime minister’s tenure at 10 years. As we know, a prime minister can serve for as long as 22 years. I support the limitation,” he said at DAP’s national congress yesterday.
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In his briefing, Tunku Nashrul also stated that Anwar’s recent visits to several states last week, namely Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, were to promote continued cooperation and new synergy between the Federal and State Governments.
“The Prime Minister believes that these meetings and discussions are essential to updating and improving services for the people as a whole.
“Key areas of focus included the welfare of the people, particularly in terms of infrastructure, education, healthcare, flood mitigation projects, and road development.
“Additionally, several other issues will continue to be monitored by the relevant agencies.
“The Prime Minister will visit Penang tomorrow (March 18) and then Terengganu and Sabah,” said Tunku Nashrul.