Nurul Izzah Anwar

Nurul Izzah binti Anwar (Jawi: نور العزة بنت أنور‎; born 19 November 1980) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Permatang Pauh from 2018 to 2022 and for Lembah Pantai from 2008 to 2018. She is the daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, the current Prime Minister of Malaysia.
She is the Co-chairperson of the Secretariat of the Special Advisory Body to the Minister of Finance (ACFIN) serving Tan Sri Hassan Marican since February 2023. She is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (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.
Nurul Izzah is the daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, current President of PKR and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. Her mother, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was the outgoing President of the party and former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and also former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development. Her paternal grandfather Ibrahim Abdul Rahman was Seberang Prai Central MP from 1959 to 1969.
Prior to entering politics, Nurul Izzah did her bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Universiti Tenaga Nasional 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 studying International Relations specializing in Southeast Asia Studies. Prior to becoming 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.
She served as Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister on Economics and Finance briefly before Encik Nurhisham bin Hussein, former EPF Chief Economist, assumed the position in the PMO. She served on the Public Accounts Committee from 2018 to 2022 and was the KEADILAN Spokesperson for the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development. She was also an active member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia for the Reform of All Places of Detention (APPGM). She also served as Chairperson of the Consideration of Bills Select Committee from December 2018 to July 2019.
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 (former Party Secretary-General).
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.
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 – 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 (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 – continuously educating the electorate with positive thoughts on reform.
She was replaced as chairperson by Bukit Gelugor MP, Ramkarpal Singh, in July 2019.
On 20 July 2022, 3 days after the PKR party elections officially ended, she returned to the PKR vice presidency after being appointed along with two new officeholders Putatan MP Awang Husaini Sahari and Saraswathy Kandasami after resigning from it nearly 4 years prior on 17 December 2018.
In the 2008 general election, Nurul Izzah contested the seat of Lembah Pantai 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, who was Minister for Women, Family and Community Development in the Barisan Nasional 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. 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. 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 for the Penang-based seat of Permatang Pauh.
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 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 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.
In the 2008 general election in Malaysia, Nurul Izzah Anwar, representing the People's Justice Party (PKR), contested for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat. She faced off against Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil from the Barisan Nasional coalition. After a closely contested battle, Nurul Izzah Anwar emerged as the victor with a significant number of votes. She garnered 21,728 votes, while her opponent secured 18,833 votes. This outcome solidified her position as the elected Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, allowing her to serve and represent the people in the constituency.
In the 2013 Malaysian general elections, Nurul Izzah Anwar proved her political strength once again by winning the battle for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat against Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin from Barisan Nasional. Nurul Izzah eaked out a 1,848 majority, after receiving 31,008 votes to 29,160 votes for Raja Nong Chik.
Nurul Izzah was elected to the federal Parliament for the seat of Permatang Pauh in the seat of Pulau Pinang, succeeding Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail, in the general election 2018. She won with a majority of 15,668 votes. Nurul Izzah who obtained 35,534 votes defeated Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Mohd. Zaidi Mohd. Said who obtained 19,866 votes and Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden from PAS (14,428 votes). Once elected, Nurul Izzah actively proposed a few programs for her constituency. Her programs under the PAUH Social Impact Agenda are committed to delivering transformational public services with a strong focus on positive social impact, sustainability and longevity.
“Sisa Sifar Demi Alam Sekitar”, or the Compost Initiative, is a waste management programme aimed at reducing food waste by means of composting.
Penang Pintar was launched in collaboration with local education organisation Penggerak Komuniti Muda Pulau Pinang (PEKA) to provide free tuition for UPSR, PT3, and SPM students from low-income families. Penang Pintar also sends teachers to assist with supplementary classes in tahfiz schools within the Permatang Pauh constituency.
Modern, pesticide-free farming solutions to combat the looming spectre of climate change and food insecurity, while safeguarding the wellbeing of farmers and consumers.
Through the Permatang Pauh Women’s Project, local women have the chance to improve their lot in life through the learning of new marketable skills. Yayasan MyPrihatin is also affiliated with Projek Prihatin Permatang Pauh Women's Project (PPWP) which consists of single mothers and housewives. Among other things, the collaboration will produce school uniforms and part of the profit from sales will be channeled to the MyHeart Program.
Among the main pilot projects is the SEDAR Program which is a psycho-socio-spiritual program that involves the use of methadone in mosques and is approved by JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) for heroin addicts who want to return to the basics. The goal of the SEDAR Program is to rehabilitate those afflicted with drug addiction and reintegrate them into society, moving away from the penalisation of drug users towards a more compassionate approach. This methadone harm reduction programme aims to raise RM230,000 and has managed to collect RM187,000 so far.
Nurul Izzah gained a reputation for actively advocating political and civil rights, particularly for prisoners of conscience, and was dedicated to a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at expanding democracy in Malaysia.
Nurul Izzah, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia for the Reform of All Places of Detention (APPGM), consistently emphasised the need for national prison reform. She strongly supported parliamentary reform, striving to restore legislative power to Members of Parliament by promoting the formal debate of private member's Bills. Since 2011, Nurul Izzah has introduced seven private member's Bills, including the Industry Skills Education and Training Commission Bill 2018, the Racial and Religious Hate Crime Bill 2016, the Sedition Act (Repeal) 2013, the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (Amendment) 2012, the Printing Presses and Publications Act (Repeal) 2012, and the Revocation of Emergency Bill 2011.
Her grassroots efforts primarily focused on empowering the most vulnerable groups within her constituency. Some of her notable initiatives as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh include the Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening (ROSE) program, the Permatang Pauh Women's Project aimed at enhancing the skills of women in the bottom 40% income group, and the Permatang Pauh Multidimensional Poverty Study.
Nurul Izzah also has been known for her support for the cause of the Palestinian people. She has consistently expressed solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and has called for an end to the Israeli occupation. On 20 October, Nurul Izzah and The Malaysian Women's Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine (MWCQP) expressed full support for resolving the ongoing conflict in Palestine and sent a protest note to the Embassy of the United States (US) in the capital. On 8 December, Nurul Izzah, along with The Malaysian Parliament Caucus for Palestine submitted protest notes regarding the conflict in Gaza to the Embassy of the United States (US), the European Union (EU) and the Office of the British High Commissioner to Malaysia in the federal capital. 38 MPs, 30 NGOs, and political activists have signed the note.
In July 2021, Nurul Izzah, in a collaboration with Prof. Fatimah Kari, published a new report on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). This study calculated the varying dimensions of poverty experienced by 332 B40 households in Permatang Pauh. This index would go beyond economic factors and consider social, political, and environmental aspects to provide a comprehensive assessment. By including dimensions like women's empowerment and environmental sustainability, the index aims to promote a well-rounded approach to rebuilding after conflict, prioritizing the well-being of all individuals, especially women. Six months later, Mustapa Mohamed, former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Economic Affairs, revealed the government’s plan to revamp the national MPI methodology in response to the study. Mustapha Mohamed officially launched the report in October 2021.
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.