'Civil society, voters must question MPs over failed bill to limit PM's tenure'

 

“The atmosphere in the chamber during the voting process in the Dewan Rakyat at the Parliament building earlier today - BERNAMA PIC

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke expressed deep disappointment over the outcome of today's vote in the Dewan Rakyat on the proposed constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister's tenure to ten years.

In a Facebook post, Loke, who is also the transport minister, said the amendment received 146 votes in favour, falling just two votes short of the required two-thirds majority.

For the amendment to pass, it needed the support of two-thirds of the MPs physically present, which amounted to 148 votes.

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Loke said all 40 DAP members of parliament were present and voted in support of the amendment.

"DAP has worked tirelessly to advance the reform agenda," he added.

The Seremban MP said that civil society and voters who want meaningful institutional reform in the country must condemn and question the MPs who were absent and did not support the amendment, including those from the opposition bloc.

Earlier, the Dewan Rakyat failed to pass the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to limit the prime minister's tenure to 10 years, after it did not secure the required two-thirds majority support.

The bill only received 146 votes in favour, with 44 members abstaining and 32 absent.

The vote was taken after the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Azalina Othman Said, tabled the bill for its second reading. - NST