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

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — The bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years will be retabled during the upcoming Parliament session in October, announced Azalina Othman Said, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform). When questioned about securing a two-thirds majority for the bill, Azalina replied, "Looks good.

Everyone wants a reform work. Who wants power forever?" The bill, initially proposed in March, failed due to falling short of the necessary two-thirds majority, or 148 votes.

Despite previous assurances from Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, the bill was not retabled during the previous Parliament sitting in July. Azalina emphasized that accountability must extend to political leaders as the public expects them to be answerable for their decisions. Speaking at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia’s 2026 Praxis conference, Azalina highlighted that the Madani administration, headed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has enacted significant reforms such as abolishing the death penalty, subjecting government procurement to parliamentary oversight, and restoring parliamentary control over staffing, administration, and resources within the government.