Wan Junaidi: A fixed-term Parliament is not 'undemocratic'

 

It is not “undemocratic” if the country introduces a Fixed-Term Parliament Act (FTPA) in the future.

Dewan Negara president Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this is because many countries have implemented such a system, which retains the government within a specific term.

“If we look at this (FTPA) as undemocratic, many countries are then undemocratic because their terms of government are fixed.

“This also means that a fixed-term president in the United States, the Philippines or Indonesia will also be considered undemocratic because their terms are fixed,” he said.

Wan Junaidi (above) said this in a question-and-answer session on the “Bicara Tokoh” programme organised by the National Council of Professors with the topic “Anti-Party Hopping Act and Government Stability” in Kajang today.

However, Wan Junaidi said if the government plans to enact the FTPA, then it will remove the prime minister’s power to determine the date of the general election.

It would impact the prime minister’s discretion to seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Dewan Rakyat.

“If we set the date for the general election within five years, it means that the power of the prime minister to determine when he has an audience with the Agong to request the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat will be removed.

“Although the Federal Constitution says that the Agong has the power, the second power, to dissolve the Dewan Rakyat, it is not stated how long the dissolution can be delayed,” he said.

On Jan 13, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed a bill to keep a government running the country until the end of the term be tabled in Parliament.

The proposal was put forward to ensure that past events, such as the change in prime ministers three times in the last term, are not repeated in the future.

- Bernama