‘Who wants power forever?’: Azalina confirms PM term limit bill retabled in October

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — The prime minister's term limit bill, which caps tenure at 10 years, is set to be retabled during the upcoming Parliament session in October, according to Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who oversees Law and Institutional Reform. When inquired about securing the necessary two-thirds majority for the bill, Azalina stated confidently, “Looks good.

Everyone wants a reform work. Who wants power forever?” The bill, initially introduced in March, failed to pass due to falling short of the required two-thirds majority, or 148 votes, which is mandatory for constitutional amendments. Despite assurances from Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, the bill was not reintroduced during the last Parliament session in July.

Azalina emphasized that accountability should also apply to political leaders, as the public expects those in power to be answerable for their decisions. "If we are serious about accountability, we must also be prepared to place limits upon our own power," Azalina remarked during her keynote speech at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia's 2026 Praxis conference at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur.

The Madani administration, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has implemented significant reforms in recent years, including the abolition of the death penalty, placing government procurement under parliamentary scrutiny, and reinstating Parliament's control over its own staffing, administration, and resources.