NGOs disappointed as 10-year PM term limit bill fails
The Bill, the group says has been turned into a political tool, partisan in nature when its original intention was to improve institutions for the sake of the people.
SHAH ALAM - Civil society groups have voiced strong disappointment after the Dewan Rakyat failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the 2026 Constitutional (Amendment) Bill aimed at limiting the Prime Minister’s tenure to 10 years.
They described the outcome as a politicisation of institutional reform.
The #RasuahBusters coalition said the proposed amendment was vital to ensure leadership renewal and to prevent concentration of power that could open the door to corruption and abuse.
Yayasan Sinar Untuk Malaysia (#RasuahBusters) chief executive officer (CEO) Nurhayati Nordin emphasised the need for structural reform.
She said there should be a political discipline that focuses on policy and not the continuation of power.
"As we have seen, this Bill failed to be passed because it did not receive the support of two-thirds of the Members of Parliament (MPs). This is not a political project, this is a project for the people.
"So when the perception arises that the government has ‘lost’ or lacks two-thirds support while the opposition ‘wins’ and cheers for not voting in support, this reflects damage in the context of the legitimacy of the reform itself and it harms the country.
"In other words, the Bill has been turned into a political tool, partisan in nature when its original intention was to improve institutions for the sake of the people," she said.
She added that once implemented, the law could reduce internal power struggles that threaten long-term political stability.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) similarly criticised the outcome, alleging that opposition MPs intentionally blocked the Bill despite earlier expressing conditional support.
Its chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz described the situation as disappointing and questioned the opposition’s refusal to back the amendment.
"Worse still, some used religious arguments claiming there is no term limit for leaders in Islam and added that this Bill threatens the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"Today, the people have seen and assessed that they deliberately thwarted a good reform effort for the country," he said.
Faisal described the term limit proposal as one of the strongest reform Bills presented in Parliament, contrasting it with other legislative efforts such as the Parliamentary Services Bill 2025 and the Bill on the Separation of the Roles of the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor.
C4 Centre CEO M. Pushpan proposed that future reform Bills be referred to a Select Committee before parliamentary debate to address concerns in advance.
"If MPs from both the government and opposition blocs cannot attend to vote on this motion, what about Bills such as the separation of the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor or the upcoming Freedom of Information Act and Political Funding Act?" he said.
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