Putrajaya’s proposed prime minister term limit opens up the possibility that Najib Abdul Razak could be prime minister again, albeit for a brief period.
Under the proposed constitutional amendment tabled on Monday, which the government wants to impose retroactively, a prime minister can serve for a maximum of 10 years, continuously or otherwise.
This 10-year period does not include the time that a person serves as a caretaker prime minister after Parliament is dissolved.
Najib, who was sworn in on April 3, 2009, was the prime minister for eight years, 11 months, and one day when adjusted to exclude his stints as caretaker premier.
This means that if elected back to Parliament in the future as part of a ruling coalition, Najib could be prime minister for another one year and 29 days.
Najib is in prison for the SRC International case and has been sentenced to another 15 years in jail for the 1MDB corruption case.
Ex-convicts are barred from contesting in elections for five years from the day their sentence ends, meaning the possibility of Najib, 72, returning to Perdana Putra is a distant prospect.
However, Umno is campaigning for the former premier to be granted a full pardon, which may fast-track his return to active politics.
Chances for other ex-PMs
Besides Najib, other former premiers who would still be eligible to serve as prime minister if the term limits are enacted include Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Muhyiddin was the prime minister for 533 days and would thus be eligible to serve another eight years, six months, and 15 days.
Ismail Sabri, who served for 415 days, would still have just over eight years and 11 months on the clock.
Both politicians’ stars are waning.
Muhyiddin had resigned as Perikatan Nasional chief last December amid threats of unrest from PAS, and is facing turmoil amid a schism in his party Bersatu.
Ismail Sabri - though still an MP - is in the political wilderness after BN’s electoral performance fared worse under his leadership.
As for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, he has served for just over three years and three months today, meaning he would have another seven years and nine months to serve. - Mkini
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