NURUL Izzah Anwar, the PKR deputy president and the person widely expected to succeed her father, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is stepping down to pursue further studies.
What kind of studies she is going to pursue is unclear other than the fact that they are said to be related to serving the people.
Studies related to the art of serving the people could mean anything from pursuing academic courses to re-thinking her political strategy for the future.
Her ascension to the #2 position in the party was mainly due to the fact that her father was none other than Anwar Ibrahim.
PKR: Izzah asked to resign, but party leadership instead granted her a leave of absence after the party congress for a yet-to-be-determined duration.
Saifuddin Nasution will take up her duties in her absence. pic.twitter.com/2d694BppT9
— Hadi Azmi (@amerhadiazmi) August 6, 2026
Without the covert support of Anwar, there was no way she could have challenged and defeated the more popular candidate Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
It was this perceived favouritism on the part of Anwar that caused much uneasiness within PKR, leading to the formation of a new political party, BERSAMA which is jointly led by Rafizi and former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Although Nurul was a popular figure in reformist circles, it was her ascension to the #2 position in the party that affected her good name.
I think that from that time onwards – apart from her occasional public appearances – Nurul gradually withdrew from being active in the party.
I believe she should not have challenged Rafizi, knowing very well that the contest was not fought on a level playing field.
Father’s overzealousness?
Anwar made a big mistake by asking Nurul to contest against Rafizi. If the contest had not taken place, PKR might not have split as it has now.
Nurul is not the same dynamic person she was before the PKR party elections. She knows that she won not because of her own abilities but because of the influence of her father.
Following the party elections, the leadership was criticised and ridiculed for nepotism and favouritism.
A thoughtful and bright person – one with a promising political future – Nurul was obviously affected.
Whether she is going to seriously pursue further studies, simply take time off to ponder the larger questions of Malaysian politics – or do both during her sabbatical – remains to be seen.
@n_izzah @saifnasution @fahmi_fadzil @anwaribrahim @datoramanan @AmirudinShari –
The Star reported that Nurul Izzah is stepping down as PKR deputy president to pursue further studies.Further studies are honourable-but this explanation comes about 15 months too late. You…
— ksampoh@MyOwn Inc (@ksampoh) August 6, 2026
Despite her family links to Anwar, Nurul’s political future cannot be written off. Undoubtedly, she made valuable contributions to the reformist movement while Anwar was languishing in jail.
I met Nurul a few times during my tenure with the Penang state government. While I respect her desire to take time off to further studies or to engage in something more fundamental in serving the people, she should not forget the larger needs of politics.
Under more propitious political circumstances, she should return to serve the country.
Perhaps, in time and in the absence of Anwar from the political scene, Nurul might be able to serve the people free from the family “albatross” around her neck.
My best wishes and good luck to Nurul! – Aug 7, 2026
Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Nurul Izzah Anwar 🇲🇾 🌺(@n_izzah)/X
