PUTRAJAYA: What matters is not the length of a prime minister's tenure, but whether or not the individual can perform and has the support of most of the Dewan Rakyat, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
A 10-year tenure for a prime minister with support from the majority of MPs is not enough, because even 22 years was insufficient for him to complete all his plans for the country, said the two-time premier.
Dr Mahathir, 99, was commenting on the recent proposal to limit the prime minister's tenure to 10 years.
“Limiting the tenure would not be effective, but (may result in) other unsolved problems as there will be matters which cannot be completed within that period," he told reporters after breaking fast with close friends at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here on Thursday (March 20).
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"The MPs should only give full support to a prime minister who is performing well, approved by the people and has won in elections.
"However, if he does not perform well within his term and before the next general election, the MPs have a duty to vote him out.
"I was prime minister for 22 years (1981 to 2003), quite a long time for anyone to be PM, and yet there were still many things to be completed... that needed more time.
"What is important is not the length of the prime minister's tenure... what matters is if he can be brought down when he acts against the law," said Dr Mahathir.
"It is the duty of MPs to ensure that a leader who does not perform well is voted out, even if that leader has not even completed one term.
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"Giving a bad leader a 10-year tenure would allow him to create chaos in the country. However, if the prime minister is well-liked by the masses, 10 years is not enough.
"I could have continued after five general elections, but I (believed) that I should allow younger leaders to take over.
"Although there was no pressure to resign and I still had two-thirds support in the Dewan Rakyat, I decided to step down. We must remember that we must allow younger people to take over from us.
"When the younger one takes over, he should be given time to perform. However, if he is destroying the country, he should be voted out even before he completes his first term,” said Dr Mahathir.
On Sunday (March 16), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he agreed with a proposal for a term limit.
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"There is a proposal and I agree with it, to limit the... tenure to 10 years. As we know, it can currently extend up to 22 years. I agree with the limitation," he said at DAP’s national congress.
The "22 years" comment was believed to be a jab at his political arch-enemy Dr Mahathir’s first tenure as prime minister.
Dr Mahathir became prime minister again after GE14 in 2018 but resigned in February 2020 following the Sheraton Move that also led to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government.
