SHAH ALAM - The proposal to appoint a non-Muslim as Prime Minister is considered less suitable, as Islam is the official religion of the Federation, as stated in the Federal Constitution.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Supreme Council member Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan said there was rationale behind this view, especially since many official events included religious elements, such as accompanying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is the Head of Islam in the country.
However, he clarified that this was not the official stance of Perikatan Nasional (PN) as a whole, as the matter has yet to be formally discussed and finalised by the party’s leadership.
"I see the rationale for appointing a Muslim as Prime Minister, as Islam is the official religion of the Federation.
"Many official events involve Islam, including the role of accompanying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in official ceremonies.
"However, this is not yet the official view of PN or myself as a whole, because we have not discussed what should be done. Many people have put forward ideas and in my view, they should be acknowledged," he said.
Wan Saiful said this during the 475th Wacana Sinar programme entitled "Perdana Menteri Dua Penggal: Sekat Diktator atau Gimik Politik?" at the Karangkraf Complex, here, yesterday.
Wan Saiful as well as PKR President's Office Secretariat senior political secretary Datuk Romli Ishak and Universiti Malaya political science senior lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub were panellists on the programme.
Previously, it was reported that MCA claimed that Pas deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man's proposal for the Prime Minister's position to be reserved for only Malay-Muslims could potentially cause division among the people.
MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon also claimed that this could marginalise non-Malay and non-Muslim communities in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Wan Saiful also suggested that the government focused on drafting a white paper outlining comprehensive institutional reforms, rather than discussing the term limit for the Prime Minister's tenure in isolation.
"Instead of discussing the Prime Minister’s term limits or engaging in political posturing separately, why not combine all these elements into a white paper that can be tabled in Parliament and debated by the public?
"With a clear policy direction, we can have a more mature discussion on the proposals being presented," he added.
The Tasek Gelugor MP also said although the issue of term limit for the Prime Minister's tenure was still in the discussion stage, various new ideas have been put forward and should be carefully analysed and debated.
"In principle, this is not about abuse of power or centralisation of power. This issue is more about ensuring an appropriate tenure for a leader, much like how the workforce has a retirement age.
"In politics, there is no retirement age, so it would be beneficial to set term limits to prevent someone from holding power for too long," he said.
Wan Saiful further emphasised that such measures were crucial to allow the younger generation to eventually take over the country's leadership.