LETTERS: The government should study the proposal for a bill that aims to maintain an elected government until the end of its term, or Fixed-term Parliament Act.
We should learn from the United Kingdom's Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011, which for the first time set a default fixed election date for general elections, before it was repealed in 2022.
It might be better for us to take a few years before the proposed bill is considered.
We might need to set up a committee involving legal academicians, lawyers, judges and non-governmental organisations to discuss it.
In theory, a bill aimed at maintaining an elected government until the end of its term could ensure long-term stability.
But the government might become less committed to perform because it knows that no changes can be made in terms of administration until the end of its term.
The Constitution allows the formation of a government as long as it has a simple majority support among members of parliament (MPs).
In other words, the Constitution protects and allows the democratic process to take place in the formation of a government.
So, if we have a bill aimed at maintaining a government, this might go against the democratic spirit of the Constitution.
We have a law to ensure political stability: the 2022 Anti-Hopping Law.
We can revise and amend this law without having to create more laws.
Instead of finding ways to retain the government, we should focus on strengthening the parliamentary and electoral processes.
Legislate a bill to limit the term of service of the prime minister, MPS and assemblymen to at least two terms.
Malaysia needs young and new faces to provide new ideas for the country to progress.
This is hard to achieve when some politicians want to hold on to power for as long as possible.
The best option to deal with this attitude is by having a term-limit law.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Associate professor, Faculty of Syariah & Law,Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
