A bill to limit the tenure of the Malaysian prime minister to 10 years and another to separate the roles of the Attorney General (AG) and Public Prosecutor (PP) have been finalized and are ready for their second reading in the Dewan Rakyat as of today[2026-09-03] [1, 2, 3, 4].
Both bills require amendments to the Federal Constitution and must secure a two-thirds parliamentary majority to pass [1, 2, 3, 4]. The decision on whether these bills will be tabled during the next parliamentary sitting rests with the Leader of the House, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim [1, 2, 3, 4].
The proposed 10-year term limit aims to enhance accountability, checks and balances, and governance under the Federal Constitution [3]. This bill had previously failed to obtain the required two-thirds majority, receiving 146 votes in favor in the Dewan Rakyat [3].
Separating the AG and PP roles is designed to reduce perceptions of politically motivated prosecutions and boost public trust in the prosecution system [1, 3, 4]. Under the new framework, the Public Prosecutor would be appointed through a parliamentary process to strengthen independence and confidence [1, 3, 4].
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said urged support for both bills, saying, "Whether we want to bring the two Bills to a vote in this sitting is subject to Anwar because both require a two-thirds majority. Therefore, local politics will play a role in determining the outcome of the vote on these amendments" [2]. She added, "I sincerely hope that members of the Dewan Rakyat, the Dewan Negara and all political parties will welcome these Bills because they bring more benefits than drawbacks. This is for our country" [1].
She also emphasized the importance of the separation for public confidence: "I do not want to hear people claiming, whenever they are charged, that there is some hidden agenda behind it. InsyaAllah, this separation of roles will inspire greater confidence, especially when the Public Prosecutor is appointed through a parliamentary process" [4].
The next step depends on whether Prime Minister Anwar schedules the bills for debate during the upcoming parliamentary session.
