View source for Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

{{Malay name|Wan Azizah|Wan Ismail}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
|honorific-prefix = <small>[[Malay titles|Yang Berbahagia Datuk Seri]]</small><br>
|name             = Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
|image            = Wan Azizah 2.jpg 
|office           = President of the [[Parti Keadilan Rakyat|People's Justice Party]]
|term_start       = 4 April 1999 
|term_end         = 
|predecessor      = Position established
|successor        = 
|constituency_MP2 = [[Permatang Pauh]]
|parliament2      = Malaysian
|term_start2      = 29 November 1999
|term_end2        = 28 August 2008
|majority2        = 13,388
|predecessor2     = [[Anwar Ibrahim]]
|successor2       = [[Anwar Ibrahim]]
|order3           = [[Opposition (Malaysia)|Leader of the Opposition of Malaysia]]
|monarch3         = [[Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin|Mizan Zainal Abidin]]
|primeminister3   = [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]]
|term_start3      = 9 March 2008
|term_end3        = 28 August 2008
|predecessor3     = [[Lim Kit Siang]]
|successor3       = [[Anwar Ibrahim]]
|order4           = Leader of the [[Pakatan Rakyat|People's Pact]]
|term_start4      = 1 April 2008
|term_end4        = 28 August 2008
|predecessor4     = Position established
|successor4       = [[Anwar Ibrahim]]
|birth_date       = {{bda|1952|12|3|df=y}}
|birth_place      = [[Kedah]], [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]]
|death_date       = 
|death_place      = 
|party            = [[Pakatan Rakyat|PR]]-[[Parti Keadilan Rakyat|PKR]]
|religion         = [[Islam]]
|spouse           = [[Anwar Ibrahim]]
}}
[[Malay titles|Yang Berbahagia Datuk Seri]] Dr. '''Wan Azizah Wan Ismail''' (born 3 December 1952) is a [[Malaysia]]n [[politician]]. She is currently the president of [[Parti Keadilan Rakyat]] (People's Justice Party) and she was the [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Permatang Pauh]] from [[Malaysian general election, 1999|1999]] to 2008. She was also the Leader of Opposition in [[Dewan Rakyat]] from March 2008 until 31 July 2008. She resigned her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh on 31 July 2008 to make way for her husband Datuk Seri [[Anwar Ibrahim]] who won the subsequent [[Permatang Pauh by-election, 2008|by-election]] on 26 August 2008.

==Early life==
Born in 1952, Wan Azizah received her early education in St. Nicholas Convent School, [[Alor Setar]]. She was to continue her education at Tunku Kurshiah College [http://www.tkc.edu.my/] in [[Seremban]]. She went on to study medicine at the [[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]] where she was awarded a gold medal in [[obstetrics]] and [[gynecology]] and she later graduated as a qualified [[ophthalmologist]].

Dr. Wan Azizah served as a government doctor for 14 years before deciding to focus on [[volunteer]] work, when her husband, [[Anwar Ibrahim]] was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1993. As part of her voluntary pursuits, she became a [[Patron#Charity|patron]] of [[MAKNA]] (''Majlis Kanser Nasional'' or ''National Cancer Council'') in that period <ref>Parti Keadilan Rakyat : [http://en.keadilanrakyat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=30 Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail]</ref><ref>Asiaweek : [http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/99/1231/year.azizah.html A Woman of Grace]</ref> and became the second woman to lead a political party in Malaysia's history (Ganga Nayar founded and became the first president of the [[Malaysian Workers' Party]] in 1978 <ref>Bernama Library & Infolink Service : [http://blisdemo.bernama.com/makearticle.phtml?SN=0e273ec6447607fbf8650ea2f365c258&s=11&p=708&SN=0e273ec6447607fbf8650ea2f365c258 Ganga Nayar Profile]</ref>).

Wan Azizah had a [[Peranakan]] (Straits Chinese) grandfather but identifies as a Malay Muslim.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/99/0604/nat2.html|title=Readying for Elections?|last=Healy|first=Tim|coauthors=Oorjitham, Santha|date=2000-11-30|work=[[Asiaweek]]|accessdate=2007-09-26}}</ref>

==Political career==
===Party founder===
Following the dismissal and [[Anwar Ibrahim#Trial and conviction|arrest of her husband]] on 20 September 1998, Dr. Wan Azizah earned the respect and admiration of many Malaysians as the leader of the fledgling [[Reformasi (Malaysia)|Reformasi]] movement. She first led the '''Social Justice Movement''' (ADIL), a [[civil rights]] [[NGO]], before helping to establish the [[Parti Keadilan Rakyat]] on 4 April 1999. The establishment of the party saw Dr. Wan Azizah being elected as the first party president <ref>Parti Keadilan Rakyat : [http://en.keadilanrakyat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=32 Background & History]</ref>.

On 3 August 2003, she brought the party into a merger with the older '''[[Malaysian People's Party]]''' (or ''Parti Rakyat Malaysia'') which saw the establishment of the [[People's Justice Party]] and was elected as the president of the newly merged party.

===Member of Parliament===
In the first [[Malaysian general election, 1999|elections]] competed by the party in 1999, she led the party to win 5 seats in the [[Dewan Rakyat|Parliament]] and was herself elected as the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh; the seat formerly held by Anwar Ibrahim; with a majority of 9,077 votes. She successfully retained the seat in the [[Malaysian general election, 2004|2004 elections]] with a reduced majority <ref>Malaysian General Election 2004 : [http://mypolitician.com.my/index2004.php?page=map/pulaupinang#P44b Results for Permatang Pauh]</ref>.

As a political party leader and also a parliamentary representative, Dr. Wan Azizah is involved in many programs and activities domestically and internationally. She has spoken at UN-sponsored programs, and the local and international media. She is also the Vice-Chair of the '''Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus for Democracy in Myanmar''' and a member of the '''ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus''' <ref>[http://www.aseanmp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123&Itemid=27 ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus]</ref>.

===March 2008 Elections===
[[Image:Wan Azizah.jpg|thumb|200px|Wan Azizah at the Bersih Rally]]
Dr. Wan Azizah won her parliament seat of [[Permatang Pauh]] in the 2008 12th General Election of Malaysia with a majority of 13,388 <ref>Malaysian General Election 2008 : [http://mypolitician.com.my/indexpru.php?page=map2/pulaupinang#P44b Results for Permatang Pauh]</ref>. She was supported by all the component parties of [[Pakatan Rakyat]] to lead the opposition in the lower house of parliament, [[Dewan Rakyat|House of Representatives]].

With the recent public announcement by Anwar Ibrahim regarding his intention to return to active politics despite being legally barred from doing so,<ref>Radio Australia : [http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/programs/s1869902.htm MALAYSIA: Anwar Ibrahim to make political comeback]</ref> Dr Wan Azizah has indicated her readiness to vacate the position of party president if he was elected.<ref>Daily Express : [http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=47936 Wan Azizah agrees to make way for Anwar]</ref> Nonetheless, she has also indicated that she intends to defend her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh.<ref>Malaysiakini : [http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/64598 She's ready to make way for hubby]</ref>

===Recent Developments===
Wan Azizah was honored on the occasion of the official birthday of the [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri]] (State Governor) of [[Penang]] on 12 July 2008 when she was awarded the [[Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri]] (Order of the Defender of the State), a [[chivalric order]] of the second rank in the state. The award carries the non-hereditary [[title]] of [[Datuk Seri]].

She resigned her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh on 31 July 2008 to make way for her husband Datuk Seri [[Anwar Ibrahim]] to contest in a [[Permatang Pauh by-election, 2008|by-election]] which has to be held within 60 days from the date she resigned.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=CJ and Dr Wan Azizah top Penang awards list |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/10/nation/20080710170019&sec=nation |work=The Star |publisher=Star Publications (M) Bhd |date=2008-07-10 |accessdate=2008-07-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.penang.gov.my/index.php?ch=21&pg=13&ac=105&lang=eng |title=Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri |accessdate=2008-07-12 |work=Penang State Government Portal |publisher=Government of the State of Penang, Malaysia |date= }}</ref> Her husband succeeded her parliamentary seat after won a big majority on 26 August 2008 [[Permatang Pauh]] by-election.

==See also==
*[[People's Justice Party]]
*[[Anwar Ibrahim]]
*[[Pakatan Rakyat]]
*[[Reformasi (Malaysia)]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
</div>

==External links==
*[http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/99/1231/year.azizah.html Asia Week: A Woman of Grace]
*[http://mypolitician.com.my/indexpru.php?page=map2/pulaupinang#P44b Result of Malaysian General Election 2008 for Permatang Pauh ]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wan Ismail, Wan Azizah}}
[[Category:Malaysian politicians]]
[[Category:Malaysian democracy activists]]
[[Category:Civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Malaysian doctors]]
[[Category:Malaysian Muslims]]
[[Category:Malaysian Malay people]]
[[Category:Ophthalmologists]]
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]]
[[Category:People's Justice Party (Malaysia) politicians]]

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