Nurul Izzah’s defeat ends Anwar’s legacy in Permatang Pauh


The reign of the Anwar family in Permatang Pauh has come to an end with Nurul Izzah’s defeat to Muhammad Fawwaz Mat Jan. – Facebook pic, November 20, 2022.

PAKATAN Harapan (PH) leader Anwar Ibrahim’s legacy in Permatang Pauh ended when his daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, lost the seat last night.

Nurul Izzah was defeated by Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Muhammad Fawwaz Mat Jan (PN-PAS) with a majority of 5,272 votes.

Fawwaz, who is also Penang PAS Youth chief said he was grateful to the people and said he hoped that he could fulfil his promises to the Permatang Pauh constituents over the next five years.

“I would like to apologise if I have made any mistake during the campaigning and I intend to unite Permatang Pauh. We are all brothers and sisters,” he told reporters in Bukit Mertajam, accompanied by Penang PAS Commissioner Ustaz Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff in the early hours of this morning.

Anwar first won the seat in April 1982 for Barisan Nasional (BN) when he defeated Zabidi Ali of PAS with a 14,352-vote majority.

Anwar, who was born in Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, retained the seat until he was imprisoned on April 14,1999.

His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail stood in his place in November 1999.

After he was released from prison on September 2, 2004, Anwar was banned from participating in politics for five years.

Wan Azizah retained the seat until July 31, 2008, when she stepped aside, allowing Anwar to stand in the ensuing by-election in August 2008, which he won with a majority of 15,671 votes defeating BN candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah.

In 2013, Anwar beat contenders Mazlan Ismail (BN) and Abdullah Zawawi Samsudin (independent) by an 11,721-vote majority.

However, Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of sodomising his assistant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and the conviction was upheld by the Federal Court on February 10, 2015.

Thus, he forfeited Permatang Pauh after losing all legal avenues for appeal, including a royal pardon.

In the by-election held in May 2015, Wan Azizah stood again, defeating her challenger Suhaimi Sabudin (BN-Umno) by a majority of 8,841 votes.

In 2018, Nurul Izzah moved from Lembah Pantai to Permatang Pauh, defeating Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said (BN-Umno) by a majority of 15,668 votes. – Bernama, November 20, 2022.


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