Anwar faces ‘reality check’ on support for reform agenda after failure to pass Bill on PM tenure limit

analysis Asia

Anwar faces ‘reality check’ on support for reform agenda after failure to pass Bill on PM tenure limit

The failure to pass the Bill has exposed significant coordination gaps and “uneven political commitment” within the Anwar Ibrahim administration, say analysts.

KUALA LUMPUR: The failure of the Anwar government to see through a landmark Bill that would limit the tenure of a sitting prime minister to just two terms - or a maximum of 10 years - serves as a “reality check” for the administration, analysts say, as they warn that parliamentary support for political stability does not necessarily equate to unconditional support for a reforms agenda among some.

On Monday (Mar 2), the government fell just two votes short of the 148 required to pass a Bill that would amend the constitution, a result that some observers and politicians from the ruling side said was due to “poor management”.

Following this, the government on Tuesday decided to defer another highly anticipated Bill aimed at separating the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor. Instead, it will be examined by a new bipartisan parliamentary committee.

While it was a setback for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - who faces pressure to pass reforms from his coalition members - analysts however did not think that the issue would have significant impact or pressure on his administration for now.

Syaza Shukri, a political scientist at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), told CNA that the episode showed that compromises were still needed to reach consensus among the different political parties in the unity government.

Anwar’s administration is made up of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions, as well as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) among others.

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There are 222 members in Malaysia’s parliament, with 147 officially supporting the government and 75 in the opposition. The 75, however, includes six Members of Parliament who were sacked from the opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia for declaring their support for Anwar back in 2023.

“There may have been administrative gaps. I know people are talking about party whip and their role. But for me ultimately it is a political test. I think it reflects uneven political commitment more than mere technical oversight,” said Syaza.

During the bloc vote in parliament on Monday, the Bill received 146 votes - two short of the 148 required for a minimum two-thirds majority needed to pass any constitutional amendment. Speaker Johari Abdul had said that a total of 32 MPs were absent while another 44 did not vote.

Eight parliamentarians on the government side were not present during the voting on the Bill, which took place at about 6.30pm on Monday before the results were announced about 20 minutes later.

The opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) - which abstained from voting - had largely celebrated the defeat of the Bill, pointing out that it was the first time a proposed Bill had failed to pass during Anwar’s administration.

“Right now, the damage is symbolic. It dents the reform narrative,” said Syaza.

Hisomuddin Bakar, the executive director of research firm Ilham Centre, stressed that the Anwar administration still retains procedural space and time to reintroduce both Bills in a future parliamentary sitting.

“Moving forward, the administration should treat this episode as a lesson in coalition management and parliamentary arithmetic,” he said, adding that the incident should not be viewed as a collapse of political support within the unity government.

FAILURE TO GET THE NUMBERS

Under Malaysia’s Westminster parliamentary system, there is no limit on the length of a prime minister’s tenure. The government’s rationale to introduce a cap was to avoid the concentration of power around one individual and allow for fresh leadership and perspectives.

The 10-year term limit for the highest office in the country was among a slew of various reforms proposed by Anwar that were aimed at boosting urban support for his administration.

In its manifesto for the 2022 general election, PH had pledged a term limit for the prime minister, following up on a similar proposal in the run-up to the previous polls in 2018.

Anwar had also previously stated that lengthy tenures lasting 22 years had “damaged the country” - in a jibe at former premier Mahathir Mohamad, whose 22 years in office from 1981 to 2003 produced achievements but was also characterised by a concentration of power around the executive.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political science professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), viewed the defeat of the Bill as the failure of the government to discipline its rank and file.

“It would seem that the whip was not enforced,” he told CNA.

“If you cannot enforce the two-thirds support at a time you need it, what’s the use of it?” said Ahmad Fauzi, who added that absences might have stemmed from genuinely unavoidable circumstances.

While all PH MPs had voted in support of the Bill, there were three from BN who were not present: Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein, Tapah MP M Saravanan and Libaran MP Suhaimi Nasir.

The other five MPs on the government side absent during Monday’s vote were Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan of GRS, Julau MP Larry Sng of Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz who is an independent, Lawas MP Henry Sum Agong of GPS, and Tenom MP Riduan Rubin of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat.

Sng told The Star that he was stuck in traffic before the vote, and that he had several engagements elsewhere.

“By the time I got the call to return, it was only about three minutes before voting commenced. I rushed back but the traffic congestion did not make it possible,” he said, adding that he supported the Bill and denied elements of sabotage.

Suhaimi was reported to have been hospitalised while Saravanan said he had been attending prayers. Riduan, meanwhile, said that he had t