Nurul Izzah Anwar is the current Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh. Her political career began with the creation of the People’s Justice Party (KEADILAN) in 1999 where she played a vital role in its establishment. She currently is on her second term as highest ranking Vice President Elect, as well as the party’s Election Director.
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 conscience; bent on pursuing a holistic reform agenda to expand Malaysia’s democratic space.
She has worked with a number of agencies and institutes on advocacy work, among them are the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Women Leaders International Forum (WLIF) and Friedrich- Naumann Stifung (FNS). She has in the past advocated on behalf of Malaysian political prisoners and Malaysian human rights movements at the international level, most notably being an intervention in the main session at the 55th Commission on Human Rights, Geneva.
She is the founding member for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Caucus and member of the Women’s Caucus. She is a committee member 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 draconian Internal Security Act – all of which were adopted by the Prime Minister six months later. Currently, she is the Chairman for TVET Empowerment Committee.
Prior to entering politics, she earned her Masters’ Degree from the School for Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University studying International Relations (with specialization in Southeast Asia Studies). Her Bachelors’ Degree was in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University Tenaga Nasional; she graduated then in 2004, 2 days after her father, Anwar Ibrahim, was released from 6 years of politically-motivated imprisonment.
She actively contributes to Malaysiakini and the Malay publication Sinar – continuously provoking the electorate with dangerous thoughts on reforming status quo.
