THE tabling of the Constitutional Amendment Bill to limit the tenure of the Prime Minister marks a major turning point in the country’s political landscape.
Once passed in Parliament, Malaysia will chart a new chapter in strengthening institutional reform and curbing the long-term concentration of power.
The Bill limits any individual to serving a maximum of 10 years as Prime Minister, whether the term is continuous or non-consecutive.
The same provision will apply retrospectively to all former Prime Ministers.
Currently, four former Prime Ministers remain politically active — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Datuk Seri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Dr Mahathir, who has served twice as Prime Minister, would be ineligible as he has already exceeded the 10-year limit.
Najib would have one year remaining, while Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri would each have up to eight years left.
Although Najib may technically remain eligible, it appears highly unlikely that he would be chosen to lead the country again for just a single year.
Based on current political developments, the chances of Muhyiddin or Ismail Sabri returning to office also seem slim, though not entirely impossible in the future.
In this new political framework based on term limits, the precedent of a “two-time Prime Minister” set by Dr Mahathir may not be repeated.
Moreover, a Prime Minister who commands majority support typically continues to serve for the following term.
For example, if current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wins the 16th General Election, he would likely continue leading the country until reaching the maximum term limit.
Therefore, the spirit of institutional reform should also be extended to other key positions, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and assemblymen.
A 10-year term limit would create space for new leaders to emerge with fresh ideas, rather than allowing the political arena to be dominated by long-standing figures.