Nurul Izzah binti Anwar (born 19 November 1980) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh from 2018 to 2022. A member of the People's Justice Party and the eldest daughter of the 10th prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, she also represented Lembah Pantai in the Parliament of Malaysia from 2008 to 2018.
Born in Kuala Lumpur into politician family of Anwar Ibrahim and Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Nurul Izzah graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2007 with a master's degree in international relations. She became publicly active in 1998 during her father Anwar's dismissal and imprisonment, participating in the movement and co-founding the People's Justice Party in 1999. She entered parliament in 2008, winning the Lembah Pantai seat, and campaigned on multiracial inclusivity, government accountability, and social justice. In parliament, she advocated open government, equitable development, increased representation of women and youth, and policies based on need rather than ethnicity.
In 2010, two years after joining parliament, Nurul Izzah was elected as the PKR's youngest vice president. She retained her Lembah Pantai seat in the 2013 general election and was active in promoting political reform, transparency, and parliamentary oversight. She faced several detentions and investigations related to her activism, including under the Sedition Act, and engaged in advocacy on Sabah sovereignty and electoral matters. In 2018, she won the Permatang Pauh seat, served on parliamentary committees, and led initiatives such as the TVET Empowerment Committee and the Multidimensional Poverty Index report. She resigned as PKR vice-president in 2018 but was reappointed for the 2022–2025 term. After losing her parliamentary seat in 2022, she served as an adviser on economic and social policy and chaired the think tank Social & Economic Research Initiative. In 2025, she was elected deputy president of PKR, focusing on party unity and engagement with grassroots members.
Nurul Izzah has advocated for greater political participation by women and strengthened legal protections for women and families in Malaysia. She has engaged in civil rights and policy reform, including national prison reform, parliamentary reforms such as establishing a central authority for TVET, and introducing private member's bills on issues including hate crimes, the Sedition Act, the Petroleum Development Act, and media regulation. As MP for Permatang Pauh, she contributed to public health, women's vocational development, poverty studies, and recognition of technical and vocational skills. She has also supported Palestinian rights, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and submitting protest notes to multiple embassies with parliamentary and civil society backing. Domestically, she has emphasised the need for locally rooted leadership in Sabah, accountability over the Freedom Flotilla incident, and careful review of corporal punishment in schools.
Early life and education Nurul Izzah Anwar, born on 19 November 1980, is the eldest daughter of Malaysian politicians Anwar Ibrahim and Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. She received her early education at in Kuala Lumpur, followed by secondary schooling at Sekolah Menengah Sri Bandaraya and in Petaling Jaya. Nurul Izzah began her tertiary studies at Universiti Teknologi Petronas before transferring to Universiti Tenaga Nasional, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in electrical and electronic engineering in 2004. She later completed a Master's degree in international relations, specialising in Southeast Asian studies, at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University in Washington, graduating in May 2007.
Political career
Entry into politics (1998–2008) Nurul Izzah became a public figure in 1998 following the dismissal and imprisonment of her father on charges of sodomy and corruption. As the eldest child, she took on an active role in the movement, earning the nickname ("Princess of Reform") for her leadership alongside her mother. In 1999, she became one of the co-founders of the People's Justice Party (, PKR), a multiethnic party formed in response to her father's arrest. Her image as a young reformist resonated widely, especially among younger Malaysians, and that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was inspired to establish the in 2001, a youth wing for young women, as a counter to her and Wan Azizah's growing influence.
In a June 2002 interview, Nurul Izzah expressed her continued resentment towards former Inspector-General of Police Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor for assaulting and imprisoning her father in 1998. She spoke about the long-term impact on her father's health, the emotional toll on her siblings, and the burden she carried as the eldest child during his incarceration. She later revealed that she found it difficult to balance expectations when asked to contest the 2004 general election while still a student, describing the experience as a conflict between her dedication to the reform movement and her academic commitments.In the 2008 general election, Nurul Izzah made her parliamentary debut by winning the Lembah Pantai seat, defeating then Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in what was widely regarded as a major political upset. Despite being relatively inexperienced, she was seen by many voters as qualified, well-educated, and principled. Representing her party, she campaigned against Malaysia's entrenched race-based political system, advocating instead for a multiracial and inclusive vision of national unity aligned with the principle of 1Malaysia. Securing 21,728 votes against Shahrizat's 18,833, her appeal among both male voters and single mothers was seen as key to her victory.
Nurul Izzah advocated open government, equitable development, and putting an end to race-based patronage following her entry into the parliament. She supported broadcasting parliamentary sittings and greater public scrutiny and investment, describing her experience in the Dewan Rakyat as demanding but essential to ensuring government accountability. She promoted the representation of women in politics to correct gender imbalance, emphasised Pakatan Rakyat's commitment to democratic change and social justice despite federal-level resistance, and demanded increased political participation by youth. She also supported transparency in public spending, community participation in governance, and policies determined by need rather than ethnicity.
Vice President of PKR (2010–2018) Nurul Izzah became the youngest person to hold the position of vice-president of the PKR at the age of 30, two years after she joined the Dewan Rakyat in 2008. Her appointment was officially announced on 28 November 2010 during the PKR's 7th National Congress. The same congress also ratified Azmin Ali as deputy president. By 2012, she had gained rising influence among youth and reform-minded voters, reflecting her growing role within the party and Malaysian politics. In that same year, Nurul Izzah was recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, an honour awarded to outstanding leaders under 40 for their professional achievements and contributions to society.
In the 2013 general election, Nurul Izzah defended her Lembah Pantai seat against Raja Nong Chik from Barisan Nasional (BN), winning with a majority of 1,848 votes, receiving 31,008 votes compared to Raja Nong Chik's 29,161. Her support came largely from middle- and upper-class voters. She raised concerns about electoral irregularities, describing the contest as one of Malaysia's most contested elections, and unsuccessfully challenged the inclusion of over 5,000 untraceable voters. She emphasised her commitment to political processes that are transparent and conducted according to established rules. In August 2013, she called for Malaysia to pursue independent reforms rather than accept the terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement without scrutiny, advocating stronger parliamentary oversight, political reforms, economic restructuring, and the protection of natural resources to safeguard national interests and international competitiveness.
On 16 March 2015, Nurul Izzah was detained under the Sedition Act 1948 for participating in the #KitaLawan rally, an anti-government movement in Malaysia that included protests against the Goods and Services Tax and other government initiative. Lim Kit Siang argued that the arrest violated the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952, which protects MPs' statements in Parliament except on matters involving the monarchy, national language, Malay privileges, or citizenship. He described the arrest as illegal and called on the Attorney General to act. The International Commission of Jurists condemned the detention, demanded her immediate release, and called for the repeal of the Sedition Act, stating that it was being used to restrict freedom of expression. Amnesty International also criticised her arrest and overnight detention. She was released the following day after spending a night in custody.
In November 2015, Nurul Izzah met with Jacel Kiram, daughter of the self-proclaimed Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, in the Philippines. The meeting was part of a delegation visit arranged by local hosts. She stated that the purpose was to support peace efforts and reaffirm PKR's commitment to Sabah's sovereignty. Some Sabah politicians, including leaders from the Sabah Progressive Party and the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation, expressed distrust over the visit, viewing it as potentially supportive of the Kiram family's territorial claims. The incident prompted debate about her judgement and awareness of Sabah's security sensitivities.
As discussions were underway on potential cooperation within the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, Nurul Izzah told then-Attorney General Tommy Thomas in January 2016 that her family no longer trusted Mahathir due to his past actions against her father and remained sceptical about forming a political alliance with him. In March, she was questioned by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for reposting on Instagram a controversial sketch of Prime Minister Najib Razak as a clown by activist Fahmi Reza; she declined to answer questions, described the investigation as "trivial," and framed it as an act of intimidation intended to encourage self-censorship. In May, she was barred from entering Sarawak to participate in a state election campaign after immigration officials cited a ban on "unsavoury elements" imposed by Chief Minister Adenan Satem, which she described as a restriction on legitimate political activity while highlighting ongoing controversies surrounding Najib and the ruling coalition.