On 2 March, the House of Representatives failed to pass the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2026, which sought to limit the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years.
This legislation was intended to be a historical milestone for Malaysia and a foundational pillar for institutional reform, which aligns with the view held by Persatuan Bertindak Pilihan Raya Bebas dan Saksama (Tindak).
Nevertheless, among 222 MPs, 146 voted in favour, 44 abstained from voting, while 32 were absent.
As a result, the amendment was rejected by just two votes short of the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment.
Tindak expresses its profound disappointment and condemnation of this failure, particularly regarding the conduct of those who did not attend this critical session.
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It has to be noted that the current government bloc holds at least 153 seats in the House, five seats more than the 148 required to pass a constitutional amendment.
Given the numerical advantage, the defeat of the amendment bill rests solely on the negligence of irresponsible MPs who failed to carry out their duties as lawmakers.
Among the 32 MPs who were absent, eight of them are in the government bloc. They are:
- Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang)
- Larry Sng (Julau)
- Hishammuddin Hussein (Sembrong)
- M Saravanan (Tapah)
- Suhaimi Nasir (Libaran)
- Henry Sum Agong (Lawas)
- Riduan Rubin (Tenom)
- Jeffrey Kitingan (Keningau)
What makes it worse is that several of these MPs have a persistent history of poor attendance throughout the current parliamentary cycle.
Based on Parliament’s dashboard, Hishammuddin has been present for only 91 out of 246 sessions, while Kitingan and Saravanan have attended only 139 and 140 sessions respectively.1
At the time of this statement, three of the MPs have responded to the media providing their reasons of absence.
Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz admitted he intentionally skipped the vote to ensure the prime minister remained in power longer, while Sng blamed traffic and Saravanan cited personal prayers.
These justifications are an insult to the public, especially when one considers that MPs are incentivised with a meeting allowance of RM400 per day in addition to their monthly remuneration, which may go up to RM40,000 per month.
As mentioned earlier, the amendment could have been passed by the government bloc without any controversy or external reliance due to its numerical advantage.
Therefore, any attempt, including the one by Anthony Loke, to blame the opposition for the bill’s failure does not hold water.
Tindak reiterates its disappointment over this missed historical opportunity. The failure of the amendment is a direct result of lawmakers treating their constitutional duties as optional.
We urge all MPs to perform better and honour their roles as the nation’s lawmakers.
We also demand that these MPs prioritise their legislative responsibilities over personal agendas.
The people expect and deserves MPs that show up to work, especially when the future of the country is at stake. – Tindak
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
