SHAH ALAM - The proposal of limiting the Prime Minister's term to two terms or 10 years is not new. It has been championed by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) since the Reformasi Movement in 1999.
PKR President's Office Secretariat senior political secretary Datuk Romli Ishak said the issue has also been discussed in detail in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto and has become a hot topic in Malaysia's political arena.
He said a 10-year term may not necessarily be considered long depending on the leadership of the Prime Minister.
"If a Prime Minister brings prosperity and well-being to the country, that term may seem too short.
"On the other hand, if the leader damages the country, even a five-year term can be considered long enough to create many problems," he said this during the 475th Wacana Sinar programme entitled "Perdana Menteri Dua Penggal: Sekat Diktator atau Gimik Politik?" at the Karangkraf Complex, here, yesterday.
Romli as well as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Supreme Council member Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Universiti Malaya political science senior lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub were panellists on the programme.
Meanwhile, Romli said Prime Minister and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had agreed with the proposal to limit the Prime Minister's term to two terms or 10 years, as it had been thoroughly discussed in the PKR and PH leadership meetings.
He added that the practice of limiting the tenure has already been implemented at the state level, such as in Penang for the Menteri Besar position.
"Even though we limit the Prime Minister or Menteri Besar's term to 10 years, it will not affect the political career of a leader.
"If a Prime Minister or a Menteri Besar is capable, they can still contribute to the country in various ways after the 10-year term ends," he said.
However, he said leaders who were inefficient will still create problems in a short time.
Romli said in the history of Malaysian politics, only Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has held the position of Prime Minister for more than 10 years.
"This is why many PH leaders, including Anwar believe that a 10-year term is the right amount of time for a Prime Minister to formulate policies, strategise and implement them effectively," he said.
When asked about Anwar's successor after his term ends, Romli said it was difficult to predict who would become the next Prime Minister but assured that PH has many qualified candidates.
"We already have a transition plan and when the time comes, the name of the leader will be put forward," he said.
Romli emphasised that one of the main reasons for limiting the Prime Minister’s term was to provide space for younger, more dynamic and competitive leadership.
"Malaysia's political system at the moment tends to give too much space for leaders to remain in power indefinitely. This limits opportunities for new leaders to emerge.
"We can see some Members of Parliament holding office for so long without any intention to give way to others. This hinders efforts to produce young leaders who are more progressive and bring new ideas," he said.
The proposal to limit the Prime Minister's term to two terms continues to be debated among leaders and political observers, with some seeing it as a step to prevent the abuse of power, while others viewed it as just a political gimmick.