Besides the fact that she stood beside her husband Anwar Ibrahim against wounds and blows, Wan Azizah also brought fresh insight in the opposition party the Party Keadilaan Rakyat (PKR) of which she will remain as President for the time being.

The career of Wan Azizah began when the PKR was created after Anwar went to jail. The party was said to be doomed by opponents but the three times win by Wan Azizah in Permatang Pauh made her a veteran politician.

Her resignation as Member of the Parliament (MP) is yet another sacrifice that the grand lady has to make in order to push forward her husband’s political agenda.

“This is consistent with our goals towards securing a Parliamentary majority and forming a new government within this year,” wrote Wan Azizah in a press statement sent to World Futures.

“Anwar Ibrahim has articulated a vision for Malaysia that has brought hope to the people. He has the experience and intelligence to reinvigorate our economy, and the charisma and integrity to unite the Malaysian people and restore credibility to our institutions of governance,” she added.

Ten years in politics is a long time for many people and it would have been a long path for Wan Azizah who is still in the middle of a nascent struggle to see her husband freed from yet another sodomy allegation.

“The future of our nation lies in the dedication and commitment to justice and freedom that I have experienced as your representative in Parliament and I look forward to many more years of serving you with sincerity and with humility,” she said in the press statement which is already making the headlines in several blogs and news websites in Malaysia.

For World Futures, Wan Azizah’s resignation from the Parliament and as leader of the Parliamentary opposition is a greater sacrifice for any honorable member of the august National Assembly.

She said her decision to resign was the right decision for Malaysia and for the people, a nation that is now facing some of ‘the greatest challenges it has encountered since gaining independence,’

Wan Azizah added that the Umno-led Barisan National (BN) government has mismanaged the economy – a topic of great interest to her – and steered the nation towards a catastrophe.

“. It has allowed the integrity of the justice system to fall into deeper infamy. It has stroked the flames of racism and driven a wedge of mistrust between Malays, Chinese and Indians, while thoroughly neglecting the needs of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak,” she said.

Though there is reason to believe that she may not have said her last word in local politics, it would be fair to believe that her signing out from Parliament after her third mandate was somewhat inevitable.

Anwar Ibrahim has to re-enter Parliament to pursue his political comeback and since Permatang Pauh was the favorite seat for him it is apparent that there is no better way to crack the ruling coalition than a big win in the same parliamentary seat.

During the press conference at the party HQ the opposition leader thanked his wife for making way for him. Among party members, it is an expression of joy and hope that could be seen in their statements upon reception of the news of Anwar contesting the seat in Permatang Pauh.

“This is where reformasi really started with Anwar’s declaration,” a supporter of the PKR to World Futures.

He added that Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will always be remembered for her bravery and for her steadfastness in defending the seat which ‘was stolen from Anwar in 1998,’

Wan Azizah recently gave a shock to the Malaysian government when she asked the Parliament to consider a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister. The motion was swiftly rejected by the Speaker of the Parliament TS Amin Mulia.

The move apparently scared the authorities since Anwar had disclosed that 30 members of the BN were crossing over to the opposition to form a new government.

During her tenure as PKR leader, Wan Azizah carried out several discussions and rallies in remote areas as well as in towns and cities in a bid to attract the people’s attention on issues like economic disparity, poverty and inflation.

Her role in Parliament was however limited to her full support given to the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (Pas) and the Democratic Action Party (Dap) since she was the only PKR MP from 1998 to March 2008.

Wan Azizah concluded her statement by thanking the supporters whole-heartedly, supporters ‘who have stood by me in the most difficult of times since September 1998 and have shared in the joy of victory we all experienced on March 8^th,” she said.

Her daughter, Nurul Izzah is also an MP.

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Wan Azizah: End of a brilliant career
written by tourman53, August 03, 2008

The woman I admire most is Wan Azizah . She is behind the seccessfu man her husband. The Malay Heroe I admire most is Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim. Good luck to both of you.

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