Projek Sama blasts 'irresponsible' lawmakers over PM term-limit bill near miss

Projek Sama has slammed the “irresponsible attitude” of lawmakers who either abstained from voting or were not present in the Dewan Rakyat to vote on the constitutional amendment bill to limit the prime minister’s term to 10 years.

The bill, which did not receive the required two-thirds majority (148) to amend the Constitution, faced a near-miss setback after being supported by only 146 MPs, with 44 abstaining and 32 absent in the lower house.

The civil society organisation urged the constituents of the 76 MPs who failed to vote, including eight backbenchers who are said to have been amongst those absent, to “seriously consider their (non)-voting record” when casting their ballots in the next general election.

The bill’s stalling, Projek Sama argued, had cost Malaysia several benefits, including an inter-generational renewal of the national leadership, and the implementation of “disciplining” incentives for prime ministers to set clear policy goals and accomplish them within their limited tenure.

The NGO also pointed out that the bill would have resulted in less concentration of power in one person and less political instability due to “all-out” political struggles between an incumbent with no retirement date and their challengers with no succession timetable.

It further highlighted that PAS and Bersatu, under the previous administration led by then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pakatan Harapan on political transformation and stability on Sept 13, 2021.

Noting that the MOU had listed the prime minister’s term limit as one of 10 institutional reforms, Projek Sama claimed the opposition’s move to abstain from voting on the bill is a “shameless act of opportunism and petty partisanship.”

It also asserted that the absence of the eight backbenchers was “not principled opposition” and warrants disciplinary actions from the government chief whip, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

“Failure to administer discipline would encourage more irresponsible acts by rogue MPs when they sabotage a key policy agenda of the government, whether to embarrass the government, to extort personal patronage, or simply fail to carry out their duty,” Projek Sama warned.

Poor health, important prayers, bad traffic

Barring those who have publicly commented on the matter, the identities of all MPs who attended or were absent during yesterday’s bloc vote will only be known when Parliament’s Hansard is published.

This morning, BN’s Libaran MP Suhaimi Nasir told Malaysiakini he missed the vote as he was ill, while the coalition’s Tapah MP, M Saravanan, said he was unable to attend Parliament due to important prayer matters in Pangkor.

Independent Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal told Scoop he intentionally skipped the term-limit vote because he wanted Anwar Ibrahim to remain as prime minister longer.

Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) Julau MP Larry Sng has since said he missed the vote because he was stuck in traffic on the way back from an outside engagement. 

‘History will remember’

While calling for the government to reintroduce the constitutional amendment bill during the next Parliament session and before the 16th general election, Projek Sama advocated for a campaign to engage public opinion through “vigorous debates and deliberations”.

“Malaysia is at a constitutional crossroads. A term limit is not about personalities; it is about protecting the nation from unchecked power.

“We call on all MPs to rise above politics and choose principle. History will remember who stood for reform,” it added.

Addressing a press conference today, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said MPs who failed to attend or vote on the proposed bill must explain themselves to their party leadership and constituents.

Affirming that all Pakatan Harapan MPs were present in support of the motion, the communications minister said those absent included lawmakers from BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), PBM, as well as two PAS MPs.

“Does this mean they do not support efforts to limit the power and tenure of the prime minister?”

“This is not a party issue. This is a good governance issue,” Malay Mail quoted him as saying. 

Noting that Fadillah had instructed all government MPs to be present during the second reading of the motion, Fahmi added that the Petra Jaya MP “appeared disappointed” over the backbenchers’ no-shows.

He added that the bill can be tabled again in future Parliament sittings with no implications to the government’s stability, as the bid to limit the prime minister’s term is based on the principle of accountability, which all MPs should support.

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