KUALA LUMPUR – There is no issue with a prime minister holding the position for several terms, if he performs his role well and brings benefits to the people, said Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Sanusi, who is also Perikatan Nasional's (PN) election director, said imposing term limits could be detrimental to the country if a leader appointed at a young age performs well in office.
For example, he said, a prime minister appointed at the age of 40 and has proven to be highly competent, should not be prevented from being reappointed due to legal restrictions.
"If the prime minister's performance is good, it does not matter how many terms- even 10 years or 10 terms if not a problem. If the prime minister's performance is not good, there is no need to wait until the end of even one term," he said, as quoted by the Darul Aman Information Secretariat's Facebook page.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his New Year address, said a Bill to limit the prime minister’s term of office to no more than 10 years or two terms would be tabled in Parliament this year.
The proposal is among several institutional reform initiatives to be brought to the next parliamentary session.
Anwar said that if someone is given a certain period and succeeds in carrying out their responsibilities, it would then be appropriate to hand over leadership to the next generation.
Commenting further, Sanusi said Anwar, who is currently 79 years old, may be suitably limited to two terms, as if appointed for another term, he would be around 85 or 86 years old by the end of that term.
“Anwar is 79 years old now. It is appropriate to limit him to two terms because if he becomes prime minister for a second term, he would reach 86 by the end of it. The issue here is not the length of time, but performance,” he said.– January 6, 2026
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