When public outrage swirled around the extension of MACC Chief Azam Baki’s contract, Nurul Izzah—Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter—didn’t hold back. She joined the chorus of critics, disapproving of the move just like the rest of her father's opponents.
“We ask brave and courageous civil servants and personalities to rise to the occasion,” she said, to protest against the favour bestowed upon Azam.
And just days ago, when hundreds of lawyers marched to protest against the alleged erosion of judicial independence under Anwar's government, Nurul once again echoed the voices of her father's critics.
“Today, I must speak up again to ensure that the Madani government continues to protect the integrity of the judiciary,” she said in a social media post.
What’s going on here, some of us might ask?
It’s hard to believe that Anwar and Nurul are truly at odds. On the contrary, if there’s anyone Anwar trusts deeply, it would be his daughter and his wife, Wan Azizah. If you notice, other than his wife and daughter, nobody else that was with together in his 25 years journey from prison to Putrajaya, survived the trip. From Azmin to Raja Petra to Ezam Mohd Nor to Rafizi to Tian Chua, everybody that was involved in the reformasi movement with Anwar have been sidelined along the way, except from his wife and daughter.
His wife and daughter were not only his only costant companion, they were his pillars of strength throughouthis darkest hours. If loyalty were a currency, Nurul and Azizah would be rich.
And it’s not just love or sentiment that binds them. Anwar has clearly begun paving the way for his daughter’s political future. Just a few months ago, Nurul Izzah was parachuted back into the spotlight with a surprise win to become the No. 2 in PKR. It’s hard to imagine that happening without Anwar’s tacit blessing.
In fact, if Anwar were to step down or be ousted as Prime Minister tomorrow, Nurul Izzah would immediately be seen as a frontrunner to replace him. Politicians like to talk about selflessness, sacrifice, and service – but we all know the truth. And the truth is that politicians are chiefly made up of apex winners, who joined politics because it is the arena that allows them to win the ultimate prize – power.
You don't need to join politics to be selfless, make sacrifices and be of service - you can do that even while being a nobody.
The only reason you need to join politics is because it is only in the arena of politics that you can truly taste power.
Considering that Nurul has been by her father's side for as long as we can remember, and considering that her father is doing everything he can to give Nurul the politician, the power that she must desire - I must say that the “anti-Anwar” position that the daughter is taking against the father to be quite intriguing.
So what gives you might ask?
I can think of three possibilities.
The first is the most noble: It might be the case that Nurul Izzah truly believes in the ideals of Reformasi—the movement her father started, but may have drifted away from. If this is true, her criticism of Anwar is genuine. She is choosing to go against her father for the sake of principle over power. It’s conscience over convenience. It is a case of her loving her country and what is right, far more than her loving her father and all the gains she can accumulate by standing together with him.
The second is more cynical: This Nurul Izzah vs Anwar perception might just be a case of Nurul and Anwar playing a "good cop, bad cop" routine on the national stage. Anwar governs with a cold, realpolitik hand—making deals, extending problematic appointments, cutting compromises. Meanwhile, Nurul shines like an angel, defending reform, integrity, and minority rights. One enforces power, the other offers hope. Together, they ensure the family stays in charge, no matter what.
The third possibility? It’s a little of both. That Nurul is, in part, sincere—but also strategic. That she walks a tightrope, trying to keep her idealism alive while playing a game that demands calculation and compromise. When her father is opposed for allegedly making moves like interfering in judicial appointment, Nurul steps in to join his critics, so that when he moves to address the opposition, he would not look like a weakling that was forced by his opponents to act against his will - but like a magnanimous leader who can responds to the desire of his followers, amongst whom is his own daughter. Nurul in turn will look like a principled person, who dares to go against her own father and self interest, for the sake of the greater cause.
I’ll admit—I like Nurul Izzah. I think she and Khairy are two frontrunners to replace Anwar, and if Malaysia’s next prime minister came down to a choice between her and Khairy, I’d prefer her. There’s something in her demeanor that suggests a leader with conscience, not just calculation.
But here’s the reality: politicians aren’t in politics to be good people. They might enter the arena to do good—but if they want to stay there, what they need to do is find a way to win, by hook or crook.
And to win, they often have to make peace with the dark side. What this means that over time, instead of being moved by their conscience, politicians will learn that what they need to do to improve their chances of winning, is move according to public opinion. Instead of trying to make an impact in anyone's experience, they will just focus on creating an image of themselves. They will understand that you don't need to actually make any positive changes in reality to become a winner. Simply creating an illusion that you are a force for positive, will be enough to garner you the support to win, even if you have no intention of making any changes at all.
Over time, all politiicans inevitably, learn that the original reason they entered politics —to do good and earn a name for themselves as someone who has done some good —can become a liability. Realpolitik then becomes a survival strategy. As the old saying goes, power corrupts.
Anyway, in the days to come, I think the dilemma that Nurul Izzah will increasingly face will be about the question of whether it is better to "win the world while losing your soul", or the other way around.
Everybody thinks, of course, that it is better to save your soul rather than win the world—but this is only true before you have power. But like the saying goes, once you have power, it will be easier to make a camel go through the eye of a needle than to make you not be tempted by the delights of power, simply because you are worried of its affect on the state of your soul.
Although I don't know yet what game is it that the father and daughter are playing, or if they are playing any games at all, what I am quite confident of is that in the days to come, we are going to see how Nurul Izzah deals with this dilemma, as her political fortune continues to shine.
Nurul has already fired a salvo against the Sarawak government, to indicate that in the very near future, she will be the commander-in-chief who leads PH’s digvijaya against Sarawak in the next Sarawak state election, which is scheduled to occur before April 2027.
I think Nurul has a good chance of doing well in the digvijaya against Sarawak, and in doing well, her political fortune will continue to shine even more brightly in the years to come, after dimming considerably in the last couple of years.
As fortune continues to favour her, let us see how much room she gives to temptation to darken her soul.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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