Anwar to decide when PM term limit bill will be tabled, says Azalina

 The law and institutional reform minister says the bill is ready to be tabled again after falling two votes short of the required majority in March.

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said it was up to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as leader of the House, to decide whether the bill would be tabled during the coming parliamentary sitting. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years is ready for its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said has said.

However, she said it was up to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as leader of the House, to decide whether the bill would be tabled during the coming parliamentary sitting, Bernama reported.

The next Dewan Rakyat sitting is scheduled to begin on Oct 5 and will run until Dec 8.

“Everything is ready. Limiting the (prime minister’s) term is done. It’s subject to the leader of the House, the prime minister … whether we want to bring it for a vote at this coming session,” Azalina was quoted as saying after launching a public opinion survey on the Coroners Bill today.

She said the bill requires a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat as it involves amendments to the Federal Constitution.

The same threshold applies to a separate bill seeking to separate the roles of the attorney-general (AG) and public prosecutor (PP), she added.

Azalina urged MPs across party lines to support both bills, saying the reforms would help reduce perceptions of politically motivated prosecutions.

“I really hope Dewan Rakyat members, Dewan Negara members and any political party will welcome this bill, because it brings more good than harm,” she said.

The bill to limit the prime minister’s term was first tabled on Feb 23 but failed to secure the required two-thirds majority at its second reading on March 2, falling short of two votes.

Meanwhile, the AG-PP separation bill was first tabled on Feb 23. Its second reading was postponed on July 14 to allow the government to first present the proposed amendments to the Conference of Rulers. - FMT