Bill on PM’s Term Limit Already Completed, Awaits Tabling in Parliament – Azalina

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bill (RUU) regarding the term limit for the Prime Minister has been completed and is now subject to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to table it in Parliament during the upcoming session.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the process relating to the Prime Minister’s term limit has been finalised, including the preparation of the Bill by the relevant parties.

“Everything is ready. The time period is ready. It is subject to the Prime Minister, as the Head of the Council, to bring it in this session,” she said.

She said this when met after the Launch of the Public Opinion Survey on the Drafting of the Coroner’s Bill here on Thursday.

According to Azalina, the amendment relating to the Prime Minister’s term limit involves the Federal Constitution and therefore requires the support of a two-thirds majority of Members of Parliament.

She said the same applies to the proposal to separate the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, which also requires a two-thirds majority.

“Both of these are constitutional amendments, so we need a two-thirds majority. The same applies to the separation of the AG (Attorney General) and the PP (Public Prosecutor) – it requires a two-thirds majority,” she said.

Meanwhile, she acknowledged that political factors play a role in securing support for the constitutional amendments.

In that regard, she appealed to all Members of Parliament and political parties to support the Bill.

She said the reform is important to reduce the perception that prosecutions against any individual carry political undertones.

“I appeal, if possible, to all Members of Parliament. The Bill that we are drafting, the separation of the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, is a good thing.

“This can help reduce the perception of political prosecution in any case,” she said.

She said support for the Bill should be viewed from the perspective of national interest rather than the interest of any particular political party.

“I very much hope that the Dewan Rakyat members, Dewan Negara members, and any political party will welcome this Bill because it brings more good than harm.

“It is for our country, and I no longer want to hear people say, when they are charged, that there is a hidden agenda behind it and so on,” she said.

According to her, the separation is believed to enhance confidence in the prosecutorial institution, particularly when the appointments of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor are carried out through a more transparent process that is Parliament-based.

She said the reform is expected to give the people greater confidence in the independence and integrity of the prosecution process in this country.

Astro Awani