RECENTLY, Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid was crowned Wanita Ikon Selangor Woman 2026/27 in the Anugerah Wanita Ikon Malaysia ceremony.
In a post on Threads, the daughter of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said she had also been selected to represent Selangor as a finalist for the Anugerah Wanita Ikon Malaysia.
For one netizen, the ceremony was made even more significant by the fact that the award sash was presented by Lim Hui Ying, the younger sister of former Finance Minister and DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng.
hahaha….. hidup PN
hidup melayu…. pic.twitter.com/H0uCDNGmeM— Dark Lord 👑 (@reennasir) August 9, 2026
“Long live PN. Long live the Malays,” he was quoted saying in a post on X.
Is this a sign of DAP kowtowing to UMNO? @gedebek certainly saw it that way.
Prompted by the sarcasm, netizen @baldtoro said that a long time ago, a vote for UMNO was a vote for Zahid. Now when voting for PH, voters get not only Zahid, but his children too.
Then there was @Adzzalle2022 pointing out that politicians and their family are all great actors.
@FadhilahYusof further inquired if there were any other women more deserving of the award.
Note that Nurulhidayah, who is active in the corporate and NGO sectors, has previously held several positions, including roles in organisations focused on women’s leadership and community development.
Of course, an award ceremony is hardly the place to settle Malaysia’s political scorecards. Whether Nurulhidayah deserved the accolade is ultimately for the organisers and judges to decide.
But judging by the reactions online, the sash came with something extra this year – a generous helping of political symbolism.
In Malaysia, apparently, even an award ceremony can become an arena for UMNO, DAP and PH supporters to trade punches.
Perhaps the real achievement is not winning the award, but surviving the comment section afterwards.—Aug 10, 2026
Main image: Unofficial Info
