KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to limit the tenure of the prime minister, menteris besar as well as chief ministers to two terms.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, announcing this on Thursday, said constitutional amendments are needed in order to make this happen.
He said several items in the Constitution need to be studied first before this can be put into place.
“This involves the Federal Constitution.. we have several items which tie in to the Constitution.
“We need to study all these items as amendments need to be made in order to limit the tenure of the prime minister, menteris besar and chief ministers to only two terms,” he said.
He was speaking at a press conference at the Parliament lobby after tabling the 11th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review. During the tabling, he had announced the government’s plan to implement the move as part of the political system reform and to enhance integrity.
The move to curb excessive powers and limit the tenure of the prime minister to two terms is among the promises laid out in Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto.
Dr Mahathir had also reiterated that the prime minister would not hold any other portfolios.
Dr Mahathir said new laws will also be introduced to monitor political financing and strengthen the electoral process, including reducing the voting age to 18.
The mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016 to 2020), which highlights new and existing policies, is set to be debated for two weeks in the Dewan Rakyat.
The plan revolves around the development of infrastructure. It is the last of a series of five-year plans which began in 1966.