Nurul Izzah Anwar, deputy president of Malaysia's People's Justice Party (PKR) and daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, announced her decision to temporarily step down from her role to pursue further studies. She made the announcement on August 6, emphasizing that her path is rooted in service rather than politics [1, 2].
Her leave will begin after the PKR National Congress held this month and will last for an indefinite period. Despite stepping down from her leadership post, Nurul Izzah will remain a PKR member and continue supporting the party’s goals [1, 2, 3, 4].
During her absence, PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will assume the deputy president duties temporarily. Nurul Izzah expressed confidence in Saifuddin and PKR election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, stating they will uphold the party’s mandate with wisdom, prudence, and diligence [1, 2, 3, 4]. Amirudin Shari will continue in his role as party election director [1, 2, 4].
In her statement, Nurul Izzah thanked the party president, her father Anwar Ibrahim, the party leadership, and members for their support. She said, "I extend my deepest appreciation to the party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the party leadership for acknowledging my decision to step down as PKR’s deputy president" and prayed for ease in managing party affairs during her absence [1, 2, 3, 4].
She is scheduled to officiate the women's and youth wing meetings at the PKR National Congress, which starts August 14. Sources differ on whether her role will be on August 14 or 15, with some reporting she will officiate on the first day of the congress and others reporting she will meet members on the following day [1, 2, 3, 4].
PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said the party council agreed to grant Nurul Izzah the temporary leave after hearing her request and the views of party leaders [1]. He confirmed that Saifuddin Nasution will perform her deputy president duties during this period [1].
Nurul Izzah’s leave will take effect following the PKR National Congress. The party continues to count on her support as she pursues her studies, with Saifuddin Nasution and Amirudin Shari managing key responsibilities in her absence [1, 2, 3, 4].
