OVERWHELMING MAJORITY IN FAVOUR OF CAPPING PM'S TENURE - BHEUU POLL

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- A public consultation by the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) has found an overwhelming majority in favour of introducing a term limit for the office of Prime Minister.

The Division’s deputy director-general (Policy and Development), Datuk S Punitha, said the study gathered responses from 3,722 participants through a week-long public poll.

The results showed that 89.90 per cent agreed with the principle of capping the tenure, while 8.27 per cent disagreed and 1.75 per cent were unsure.

"On the specific limit, 62.25 per cent of respondents supported a cap of two terms, followed by 20.61 per cent who favoured a maximum of 10 years," she said at a town hall session on the proposed bill here today.

The study further indicated that 58.97 per cent support applying the limit retrospectively, taking into account service before any amendment, whereas 35.46 per cent preferred it to apply prospectively.

The study also found that 67.60 per cent agreed the Prime Minister's total tenure should be calculated cumulatively, whether served consecutively or not.

On the consequential effect for the Cabinet, 39.84 per cent believed the procedure should be set by the Constitution or law, while 37.99 per cent were in favour of the entire Cabinet resigning alongside the Prime Minister.

Punitha said 73.05 per cent of respondents believed that introducing a term limit would not affect the discretionary powers of the King, and that these powers would remain intact.

Punitha added that beyond the public consultation, the BHEUU conducted a comparative study of best practices from 14 countries, both constitutional monarchies and republics, that practice such limits for their leaders.

"Countries that cap their leaders' tenures do so to prevent a concentration of power, encourage leadership renewal and strengthen the system of checks and balances," she explained.

-- BERNAMA