Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail MP, MLA, D.P.P.N. (Penang)
Leader of the Opposition of Malaysia
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 May 2015 Serving with Lim Kit Siang (since 16 June 2015)
Monarch	Abdul Halim
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Constituency	Permatang Pauh
In office 9 March 2008 – 28 August 2008
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by	Lim Kit Siang
Succeeded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Constituency	Permatang Pauh
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Permatang Pauh
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2015
Preceded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Majority	8,841 (2015)
In office 29 November 1999 – 28 August 2008
Preceded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Succeeded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Majority	9,077 (1999) 590 (2004) 13,388 (2008) 8,841 (2015)
Member of the Selangor State Assembly for Kajang
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 April 2014
Preceded by	Lee Chin Cheh (PKR—PR)
Majority	5,379 (2014)
President of the People's Justice Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 April 1999
Preceded by	Position established
General Chief of the People's Pact
In office 1 April 2008 – 28 August 2008
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Personal details
Born	(1952-12-03) 3 December 1952 Crown Colony of Singapore
Political party	PKR of Pakatan Rakyat
Spouse(s)	Anwar Ibrahim
Children	Nurul Izzah Anwar Nurul Nuha Anwar Mohd Ehsan Anwar Nurul Ilham Anwar Nurul Iman Anwar Nurul Hana Anwar
Parents	Wan Ismail Wan Mahmood Mariah Khamis
Alma mater	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Occupation	Politician Surgeon
Religion	Sunni Islam
Website	wanazizahblog.com

Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician. She is currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Dewan Rakyat after elected as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh from 2015. She is also the president of People's Justice Party (Parti KeADILan Rakyat) and elected Selangor state legislative assembly member for Kajang.

She was previously also elected as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh from 1999 to 2008 and was the Leader of Opposition in Dewan Rakyat from March 2008 until 31 July 2008, before she vacated both the positions to expedite her husband Anwar Ibrahim's return to political office.

Early life

Born in 1952 in Singapore,^[1] Wan Azizah received her early education in St. Nicholas Convent School, Alor Setar. She continued her education at Tunku Kurshiah College^[2] in Seremban before she went on to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where she was awarded a gold medal in obstetrics and gynaecology and she later graduated as a qualified ophthalmologist.

Wan Azizah served as a government doctor for 14 years before deciding to focus on volunteering work, when her husband, Anwar Ibrahim was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1993. As part of her voluntary pursuits, she became a patron of MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Nasional or National Cancer Council) in that period ^[3][4] and became the second woman to lead a political party in Malaysia's history (Ganga Nayar founded and became the first president of the Malaysian Workers' Party in 1978 ^[5]).

Wan Azizah has said that she has a Peranakan (Straits Chinese) grandfather but identifies as a Malay Muslim.^[6]

Political career

Party founder

Following the dismissal and arrest of her husband on 20 September 1998, Dr. Wan Azizah earned the respect and admiration of many Malaysians as the leader of the fledgling Reformasi movement. She first led the Social Justice Movement (ADIL), a civil rights NGO, before helping to establish the Parti Keadilan Nasional on 4 April 1999. The establishment of the party saw Dr. Wan Azizah being elected as the first party president.^[7]

On 3 August 2003, she brought the party into a merger with the older Malaysian People's Party (or Parti Rakyat Malaysia) which saw the establishment of the People's Justice Party and was elected as the president of the newly merged party.

Member of Parliament

In the first elections competed by the party in 1999, she led the party to win 5 seats in the Parliament and was herself elected as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh; the seat formerly held by Anwar Ibrahim; with a majority of 9,077 votes. She successfully retained the seat in the 2004 elections after five recounts with a reduced majority.^[8]

As a political party leader and also a parliamentary representative, Dr. Wan Azizah is involved in many programs and activities domestically and internationally. She has spoken at UN-sponsored programs, and the local and international media. She is also the Vice-Chair of the Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus for Democracy in Myanmar and a member of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus.^[9]

March 2008 general elections

Wan Azizah won her parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh in the 12th Malaysian general election with a majority of 13,388.^[10] She was supported by all the component parties of Pakatan Rakyat to lead the opposition in the lower house of parliament, House of Representatives.

With the public announcement by Anwar Ibrahim regarding his intention to return to active politics despite being legally barred from doing so,^[11] Dr Wan Azizah has indicated her readiness to vacate the position of party president if he was elected.^[12] Nonetheless, she has also indicated that she intends to defend her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh.^[13] She resigned her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh on 31 July 2008, to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who won the subsequent by-election on 26 August 2008 with a large majority.

Honorary title

Wan Azizah was honoured on the occasion of the official birthday of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (State Governor) of Penang on 12 July 2008 when she was awarded the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (Order of the Defender of the State), a chivalric order of the second rank in the state. The award carries the non-hereditary title of Datuk Seri.^[14][15]

2014 Kajang by-election

On 9 March 2014, PKR announced party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as its new candidate for the Kajang by-election.^[16] This is following Anwar Ibrahim sentencing to five years in prison after Malaysia's court of appeal overturns sodomy acquittal causing Anwar to be unable to run in the by-election.^[17]

On 23 March 2014, Wan Azizah was elected as the Selangor state legislative assembly member for Kajang.^[18]

Election results

See also

• Pakatan Rakyat
• Reformasi (Malaysia)

References

External links

• Asia Week: A Woman of Grace
• Result of Malaysian General Election 2008 for Permatang Pauh