Nurul Izzah Anwar is a Malaysian politician who has served as co-chairman of the Secretariat of the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance since February 2023.
She is also the vice president of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), a constituent party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
She is the daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and former Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
She is widely regarded as a prominent figure in Malaysian politics and a potential future leader.
File
- Full name: Nurul Izzah binti Anwar
- Date of birth: November 19, 1980
- Age: 43 years old
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Nationality: Malaysian
- Occupation: Politician
- Height: 170 cm
- Parents: Anwar Ibrahim (father) and Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (mother)
- Siblings: Five sisters and one brother
- Spouse: Yin Shao Loong (married 2022)
- Children: Two children from previous marriage to Raja Ahmad Shahrir Iskandar Raja Salim (married 2003; separated 2015)
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $4 million
Early life and education
At the age of 43, as of 2023, Nurul Izzah Anwar was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 19, 1980.
She is the eldest child of Anwar Ibrahim and Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, both prominent politicians and activists. She has five sisters and one brother.
She grew up in a politically active family and witnessed her father’s rise and fall as deputy prime minister and opposition leader.
She also experienced his imprisonment and persecution for corruption and homosexuality.
She attended primary and secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. She then pursued a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, graduating in 2003.
She continued her studies in the United States. She received her master’s degree in international relations from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in 2007, with a concentration in Southeast Asian studies.
Personal life
Nurul Izzah Anwar married Raja Ahmad Shahrir Iskandar Raja Salim, a businessman in 2003. They have two children, Raja Safiyah and Raja Harith.
However, they divorced in 2015. In 2022, she remarried Yin Shao Loong, a senior research associate at the Khazanah Research Institute and former director of strategic communications for the Selangor state government.
Yin has a son from a previous marriage named Yu Zhao. Nurul Izzah Anwar is a devout Muslim and feminist.
She is also an avid reader and enjoys writing poetry. She is fluent in Malay, English and Arabic. She is known for her outspokenness and courage in defending human rights, democracy and justice.
Career
Nurul Izzah Anwar’s political career began with the founding of the People’s Justice Party (PKR) in 1999, where she played a pivotal role in its establishment and development.
She was elected vice-president of the party in 2010 and served until 2018 when she resigned in protest against the PH coalition’s decision to nominate her father as its prime ministerial candidate. She rejoined the party as vice-president in 2022.
She entered electoral politics in 2008 when she ran for and won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, defeating incumbent Shahrizat Abdul Jalil of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
She held the seat in 2013 before moving to Permatang Pauh in 2018, the constituency her father and mother once held.
She won the seat by a landslide but lost it in 2022 to Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. She has also held various positions and roles in parliament and the government.
She was chair of the Bill Review Committee from 2018 to 2019, overseeing the review and consideration of proposed bills.
She was also a senior adviser to the prime minister on economy and finance from 2023 to 2023 before being appointed co-chair of the Secretariat of the Special Advisory Body to the Minister of Finance, working alongside Khairil Anuar Ramli.
She is widely regarded as a reformer and progressive leader who advocated social justice, good governance and sustainable development.
She has fought for many different causes and issues, such as electoral reform, anti-corruption, education, women’s rights, and environmental protection.
She is also involved in regional and international forums and networks, such as the World Economic Forum, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
Argumentative
Nurul Izzah Anwar has faced many controversies and criticisms throughout his political career. Some notable controversies are:
- In 2015, she was arrested and detained for allegedly making inflammatory statements against the judiciary in a speech in parliament. She was later released on bail and the charges were dropped in 2018.
- In 2016, she caused public outrage when she met and posed for photos with Jacel Kiram, the daughter of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, who led the armed incursion into Sabah in 2013. She apologised and explained that she knew Kiram’s identity and background.
- In 2018, she resigned as PKR vice-president and Penang branch president, citing her disappointment and disillusionment with the direction and leadership of the PH coalition.
She also expressed disagreement with the nomination of her father as a candidate for prime minister, saying it went against the principles of reform and innovation.
- In 2023, she faced allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest when she was appointed senior adviser to the prime minister on economy and finance. The position was later changed to co-chair of the Secretariat of the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance.
She defended her appointment, saying she was underpaid, underqualified and had no experience for the role.
Social media
- Twitter Username: @n_izzah
- Instagram Name: @nizzahanwar
Net worth
Nurul Izzah Anwar’s net worth is estimated at $4 million.
However, based on her 2019 asset declaration, she has a total of RM1.7 million in cash, investments and properties. She also claimed that she has no obligations or debts.
