Nurul Izzah binti Anwar (
Jawi: ; born 19 November 1980) is a
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
who served as the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Central Seberang Perai District, Penang, Malaysia. There are two institutions of higher learning located in Permatang Pauh, namely a campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Politeknik Seberang Perai at Bandar P ...
from May 2018 to November 2022 and for
Lembah Pantai
Lembah Pantai is a sub-district and parliamentary constituency in south-western Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Constituencies adjacent to Lembah Pantai are Seputeh, Segambut and Bukit Bintang. The total number of population is 148,094 as of 2020 census. ...
from March 2008 to May 2018. A member of the
People's Justice Party
The People's Justice Party ( ms, Parti Keadilan Rakyat , often known simply as KEADILAN or PKR) is a reformist political party in Malaysia, formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party. The ...
(PKR), a component party of the
Pakatan Harapan
The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
(PH) and formerly
Pakatan Rakyat
The People's Alliance ( ms, Pakatan Rakyat; abbrev: PR) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DA ...
(PR) opposition coalitions. She has also served as the Vice President of PKR from November 2010 to her resignation in December 2018 and again since July 2022. She also served as Chairperson of the
Consideration of Bills Select Committee from December 2018 to July 2019. She is the daughter of
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
, Chairman of PH, President of PKR and
Tambun
Tambun ( Jawi: تمبون; ) is a major town in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. The Lost World of Tambun, a waterpark, is located here, as is the prehistoric Tambun rock art.
Famous goods
Pomelos
Tambun is notable for its pomelo produce, ...
MP
Anwar Ibrahim and President of PH, Chairwoman of the PKR Advisory Body and
Bandar Tun Razak
Bandar Tun Razak is a township and parliamentary constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is named after the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak.
There are a number of schools and institutions of learning in Bandar Tun Razak. S ...
MP
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail ( Jawi: وان عزيزة بنت وان إسماعيل; born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician who is the spouse of Anwar Ibrahim, the current Prime Minister of Malaysia. She also served as the 12th Depu ...
who are also both the former
deputy prime ministers
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...
.
Family background
Nurul Izzah is the daughter of
Anwar Ibrahim, former
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
The deputy prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, تيمبلن ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the second-highest political office in Malaysia. There have been 15 ...
, current President of PKR and current Prime Minister of Malaysia.
[Anwar's daughter steps into political wilderness](_blank)
Ahmad Pathoni, ''Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
'', 28 February 2008 Her mother,
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail ( Jawi: وان عزيزة بنت وان إسماعيل; born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician who is the spouse of Anwar Ibrahim, the current Prime Minister of Malaysia. She also served as the 12th Depu ...
, was the outgoing President of the party and former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and also former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development.
Education
Prior to being an MP, Nurul Izzah was and still is a strong proponent of human and civil rights with a special interest in prisoners of religious prejudice. Prior to entering politics, Nurul Izzah did her bachelor's degree in
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
from the
Universiti Tenaga Nasional
Universiti Tenaga Nasional ( en, The National Energy University; UNITEN) is a private university, located in Selangor, Malaysia, with GLC university status. It is wholly owned by the public-listed Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), established in ...
where she graduated from in 2003. She then furthered her studies in the U.S. and earned her master's degree from the School for Advanced International Studies at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
studying International Relations specializing in Southeast Asia Studies.
Political career
Vice President of the People's Justice Party (2010–2018 & 2022–present)
Nurul Izzah's political career began with the creation of the
People's Justice Party (KEADILAN or PKR) in 1999 where she played a vital role in its establishment and, up until December 2018, was on her second term as highest ranking Vice President Elect, as well as the party's Election Director – a post she holds jointly with
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail ( Jawi: سيف الدين ناسوتيون بن اسماعيل; born 7 December 1963) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Minister of Home Affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administratio ...
(former Party Secretary-General).
Resignation as Vice President of PKR and from other party positions
On 17 December 2018, Nurul Izzah announced her resignation as the party's vice president as well as chair of its Penang chapter, but retains her post as
MP of
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Central Seberang Perai District, Penang, Malaysia. There are two institutions of higher learning located in Permatang Pauh, namely a campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Politeknik Seberang Perai at Bandar P ...
.
Nurul Izzah is the founding member for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Caucus; and Women's Caucus respectively. She also holds the position of Honorary Treasurer on behalf of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Malaysia. She has also moved the Parliamentary Bill in Malaysia's Parliament to Revoke Emergency Declarations in the country, including the eventual abolishment of the
Internal Security Act Internal Security Act may refer to:
* Internal Security Act 1960, former Malaysian law
*Internal Security Act (Singapore)
* McCarran Internal Security Act, a United States federal law
*Suppression of Communism Act, 1950, a South African law, rename ...
– all of which were adopted by the Prime Minister six months later. Granted, other laws were then re-introduced, in line with Malaysia's semi-autocratic regime.
Nurul Izzah is also a Board of Director for the Centre of Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives and has founded Akademi Manusiawi, a training centre for future activists and politicians.
Nurul Izzah has worked with a number of agencies and institutes on advocacy work, among them are the
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM),
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Women Leaders International Forum (WLIF) and
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (''German: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: FES'') is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as the ...
(FES). She has in the past advocated on behalf of Malaysian political prisoners and Malaysian human rights movements at the international level, most noted being an intervention in the main session at the
55th Commission on Human Rights, Geneva.
Nurul Izzah also actively contributes to the Malay publication ''
Sinar
Sinar Photography AG is a Swiss company based in Zurich manufacturing specialized high-resolution view cameras for studio, reproduction, landscape and architecture photography.
Sinar's view-cameras allow both the lens and the film back or sen ...
'' – continuously educating the electorate with positive thoughts on reform.
She was replaced as chairperson by
Bukit Gelugor MP,
Ramkarpal Singh, in July 2019.
Return as Vice President of PKR
On 20 July 2022, 3 days after the
PKR party elections officially ended, she was appointed to the PKR vice presidency along with two new officeholders
Putatan
Putatan ( ms, Pekan Putatan) is a municipality in the capital of the Putatan district in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 100,000 in 2021. It is one of the satellite town of Kota Kinabalu ...
MP
Awang Husaini Sahari and Saraswathy Kandasamy which she resigned nearly 4 years prior on 17 December 2018.
Election
In the
2008 general election, Nurul Izzah contested the seat of
Lembah Pantai
Lembah Pantai is a sub-district and parliamentary constituency in south-western Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Constituencies adjacent to Lembah Pantai are Seputeh, Segambut and Bukit Bintang. The total number of population is 148,094 as of 2020 census. ...
in Kuala Lumpur. There was speculation that she ran for the seat with the intention of handing it over to her father, who was disqualified from running for office until April 2008, though she quickly rejected such claims.
The seat was defended by three-term incumbent
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
Shahrizat binti Abdul Jalil ( Jawi: شهرزاد بنت عبدالجليل; born 15 August 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served in the Cabinet of Malaysia as Minister of Women, Family and Community Development from 2009 to 2012. She was th ...
, who was Minister for Women, Family and Community Development in the
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
government.
Initial reports suggested that Shahrizat would retain the seat, as she had been a popular minister, and in the
2004 election retained her seat with a majority of 15,288.
[Shahrizat hails challenge](_blank)
Joceline Tan, '' The Star'', 13 February 2008 However, on polling day, Nurul Izzah won 21,728 votes to Shahrizat's 18,833, and was elected as the new MP for Lembah Pantai. The defeat of the powerful three-term incumbent by a new face was one of the many surprises in the 2008 election, which saw significant losses of parliamentary seats by the ruling party.
[From outcast to future Prime Minister?](_blank)
, Jessinta Tan, ''Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', 10 March 2008 When her father returned to electoral politics he did so by replacing his wife and Nurul Izzah's mother,
Wan Azizah, in a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for the
Penang-based seat of
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Central Seberang Perai District, Penang, Malaysia. There are two institutions of higher learning located in Permatang Pauh, namely a campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Politeknik Seberang Perai at Bandar P ...
.
In November 2010, Nurul Izzah was elected one of the vice-presidents of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. She was narrowly returned to Parliament in the
2013 election. The governing
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
coalition had targeted her by fielding the incumbent Federal Territories Minister
Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin as its candidate against her in a high-profile campaign.
In November 2015,
Princess Jacel Kiram
Jamalul ibni Punjungan Kiram III (16 July 1938 – 20 October 2013) was a former self-proclaimed List of sultans of Sulu, Sultan of the Sultanate of Sulu, Sulu Sultanate who claimed to be "the poorest sultan in the world". He was known as an u ...
and Nurul Izzah posted a photo demanding Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak to free opposition leader
Anwar Ibrahim which was received negatively in the media, prompting Nurul Izzah to apologize.
In May 2018, Nurul Izzah contested for the parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh in Pulau Pinang and won. She as the MP for Permatang Pauh from 2018 until her defeat in 2022.
Personal life
Nurul Izzah married Raja Ahmad Shahrir on 9 May 2003, and has two children together, namely Raja Safiyah and Raja Harith.
They were officially divorced by the
Syariah High Court in January 2015.
She later remarried Yin Shao Loong, on 5 August 2022 and has a stepchild from Yin's previous marriage.
Election results
See also
*
Consideration of Bills Select Committee (Malaysia)
*
Permatang Pauh (federal constituency)
*
Lembah Pantai (federal constituency)
Lembah Pantai is a federal constituency in the Federal Territories, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Living people
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Malaysian civil rights activists
Malaysian democracy activists
Women members of the Dewan Rakyat
Women in Kuala Lumpur politics
Malaysian Muslims
Malaysian people of Malay descent
People's Justice Party (Malaysia) politicians
Members of the Dewan Rakyat
21st-century Malaysian politicians
1980 births
21st-century Malaysian women politicians