https://www.scmp.com/rss/523090/feed The latest news and top stories on Nurul Izzah Anwar, the eldest daughter of Malaysia's 10th prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. She is the Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Strategic Advisor for the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec). She was formerly a three-term Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai and Permatang Pauh. She is known for advocating political and civil rights, earning her the moniker ’Princess of Reformasi’. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof At the halfway point of his term, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces trouble brewing inside his own camp as his long-time lieutenant Rafizi Ramli seizes the banner of reform and clean government that was once his own. Malaysia must hold its next general election by February 2028, but with both the governing coalition and the opposition facing internal power struggles, swathes of the electorate remain unconvinced by either side’s case to govern. For Anwar, who spent decades vying to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343921/rafizi-ramli-now-conscience-malaysias-reformasi-movement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343921/rafizi-ramli-now-conscience-malaysias-reformasi-movement?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:38:19 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof From engaging with the world’s most powerful leaders, infighting within the ruling party, and cases of horrific school violence, to a murder probe involving a controversial rapper. Malaysia was a regional powerhouse that punched above its weight even as it faced pressing challenges in domestic politics this year. Here are the most widely read Malaysia stories This Week in Asia covered in 2025: Diplomatic wins In a year when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chairs Asean, Malaysia played host to world... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337868/trumps-dance-najibs-1mdb-saga-influencer-case-malaysia-leads-asean-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337868/trumps-dance-najibs-1mdb-saga-influencer-case-malaysia-leads-asean-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 05:00:09 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has renewed his attack on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist agenda, alleging that anti-corruption officers targeted candidates who challenged the leader’s daughter in internal party polls earlier this year. In an episode of his Yang Berhenti Menteri (The Minister Who Quit) podcast streamed on Friday, the Pandan MP and former Anwar ally alleged that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had investigated several contenders for the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 07:52:38 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday vowed not to interfere in corruption investigations into his own political appointees, after a slew of allegations were levelled at close government aides. Last week, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, was implicated in a mining scandal in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Shamsul, who resigned from his post just hours after the revelation last Tuesday, is currently being held on remand by the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334880/malaysias-anwar-vows-no-protection-close-aides-corruption-investigations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334880/malaysias-anwar-vows-no-protection-close-aides-corruption-investigations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The 12-year-old son of Malaysia’s firebrand former minister Rafizi Ramli was attacked with a syringe in a shopping centre car park on Wednesday afternoon, in what the ex-cabinet member said was a premeditated assault likely aimed at silencing his strident views. The attack happened at a shopping centre in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, as Rafizi’s wife and son were about to enter their car. “Suddenly a man dragged my son and stabbed him with a syringe,” Rafizi said in a statement,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321766/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-ramlis-son-12-wounded-syringe-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:42:41 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Bangladesh’s renewed quest for Asean membership comes at a moment of acute internal flux and regional scepticism, as interim leader Muhammad Yunus looks to Malaysia for support but finds the path to entry blocked by questions over governance and stability. On Sunday, he revived his country’s call for Malaysia’s backing to secure a place among the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to his office, Yunus met with Nurul Izzah, daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320334/bangladesh-wants-malaysias-help-join-asean-it-faces-uphill-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320334/bangladesh-wants-malaysias-help-join-asean-it-faces-uphill-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 03:37:20 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Scrolling through TikTok one evening, I came across a short clip of American comedian Ron Funches asking an audience member why they believed the government had a perfect track record. “Our government is placed in charge of all of its people. I’m a father placed in charge of just one son. And I lie to that … all the time,” he said, using a term from African-American vernacular that he can say but I cannot. Funches’ delivery was biting, but his point resonated – particularly for those of us in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318512/can-anwar-restore-trust-amid-malaysias-judicial-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318512/can-anwar-restore-trust-amid-malaysias-judicial-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 02:30:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan A cryptic promise from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has become the latest lightning rod for Malaysia’s restless public, whose patience is wearing thin after months of new taxes, political scandals and economic anxiety. Late on Monday, Anwar posted a stylised silhouette and the words Akan Datang (Coming Soon) across his social media accounts, promising a special gesture of “extraordinary” appreciation for all Malaysians. The post, which was met with widespread derision, appeared just hours after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318244/whats-anwars-big-surprise-malaysians-dread-more-taxes-or-pardon-najib?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318244/whats-anwars-big-surprise-malaysians-dread-more-taxes-or-pardon-najib?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 05:26:34 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan A fresh quandary may be brewing in Malaysia’s ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), after Deputy President Nurul Izzah Anwar joined a march calling for judicial independence while her party weighs disciplinary action on her peers for demanding an investigation into alleged meddling in the country’s judiciary. Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister and PKR President Anwar Ibrahim, joined nearly 1,000 lawyers in a march on the prime minister’s office on Monday afternoon to protest against... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:19:30 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi In the calm of his kitchen, Christy Yoong once raised a glass to retirement – good wine, imported cheese and the spoils of a life’s work. But as Malaysia’s new tax regime lands with a thud, even these modest pleasures are slipping out of reach. When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his unexpected tax on imported luxuries in June, he promised the pain would be felt only by the affluent. The intent was clear: shore up government coffers by targeting the better-off. Yet the reality, for many... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 00:00:11 +0000