Azalina Othman Said

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Othman Said is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Azalina. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Azalina binti Othman Said^[a] (born 31 December 1963) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has been the Member of Parliament for Pengerang since 2004. She served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department under Najib Razak and in the Anwar Ibrahim cabinet since 2022. Her previous roles include Minister of Youth and Sports from 2004 to 2008, Minister of Tourism from 2008 to 2009, Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat II from 2020 to 2021, and Special Advisor on Law and Human Rights to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from 2021 to 2022.

Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Azalina Othman Said SPMP SSAP DGMK DPMS PGDK MP
أزلينا عثمان سعيد‎
Azalina in 2023
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 December 2022
Monarchs	Abdullah (2022–2024) Ibrahim Iskandar (since 2024)
Prime Minister	Anwar Ibrahim
Deputy	Ramkarpal Singh (2022–2023) M. Kulasegaran (since 2023)
Preceded by	Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
In office 29 July 2015 – 9 May 2018
Monarchs	Abdul Halim (2015–2016) Muhammad V (2016–2018)
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Deputy	Razali Ibrahim
Preceded by	Nancy Shukri
Succeeded by	Liew Vui Keong
Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat II
In office 13 July 2020 – 23 August 2021 Serving with Mohd Rashid Hasnon
Monarch	Abdullah
Prime Minister	Muhyiddin Yassin (2020–2021) Ismail Sabri Yaakob (2021)
Speaker	Azhar Azizan Harun
Preceded by	Nga Kor Ming
Succeeded by	Alice Lau
Chairperson of the National Film Development Corporation
In office 1 June 2015 – 29 July 2015
Minister	Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Preceded by	Afendi Hamdan
Succeeded by	Khusairi Abdul Talib
Minister of Tourism
In office 18 March 2008 – 9 April 2009
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Sulaiman Abdul Rahman
Preceded by	Tengku Adnan
Succeeded by	Ng Yen Yen
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office 27 March 2004 – 18 March 2008
Monarchs	Sirajuddin (2004–2006) Mizan Zainal Abidin (2006–2008)
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Ong Tee Keat (2004–2006) Liow Tiong Lai (2006–2008)
Preceded by	Hishammuddin Hussein
Succeeded by	Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Party leadership Information Chief of the United Malays National Organisation Incumbent Assumed office 22 March 2023 President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Preceded by Isham Jalil 1st Women Youth Chief of the United Malays National Organisation In office 9 April 2001 – 25 September 2004 President Mahathir Mohamad Deputy Noraini Ahmad Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Noraini Ahmad
Parliamentary offices Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Pengerang Incumbent Assumed office 21 March 2004 Preceded by Position established Majority Walkover (2004) Walkover (2008) 26,992 (2013) 21,829 (2018) 21,738 (2022)
Personal details
Born	(1963-12-31) 31 December 1963 (age 61) Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Political party	UMNO (1990–present)
Relations	Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad (uncle)
Alma mater	Universiti Teknologi Mara University of Malaya (LLB) London School of Economics and Political Science (LLM)
Occupation	Lawyer politician

Azalina was the first female Deputy Speaker and chaired the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) in 2015. She is a UMNO Supreme Council member, Pengerang Division Chief, and has been UMNO's Information Chief since 2023, having previously served as its first head of Puteri UMNO [ms] from 2001 to 2004.

Early life and education

Azalina was born on 31 December 1963 in Johor Bahru.^[1] She spent her early years in Penang, where she received her elementary education at Convent Green Lane, a Catholic school.^[2] Her father is of Buginese descent, with ancestors from South Sulawesi who settled in Johor. Her mother is of Hadrami Arab descent from Yemen. Her maternal uncle is Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad, a Malaysian-French singer.^[3][4]

She obtained a Diploma in Public Administration at Universiti Teknologi MARA^[5] and later completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at the University of Malaya (UM) in 1988. She also obtained a Diploma in Syariah Law from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). In 1990, she earned a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom.^[1][6]

Career

Legal career

Azalina began her career in law as a legal assistant in Messrs Raja Darryl & Loh between 1988 and 1989.^[7] She was admitted to the Malaysian Bar Council in 1989. She became a member of UMNO in 1990, one year after that, when she was 27 years old.^[6] She returned to Messrs Raja Darryl & Loh between 1991 and 1994. She specialised in women's affairs as a special advisor to the government, as well as civil claims and corporate and commercial banking. She became a partner of law firm Azalina Chan & Chia in 1994 and held this position until 2001.^[7] During this period in 2000, she was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council and became the youngest woman to ever hold this position.^[b][6] She shifted from Azalina Chan & Chia to Messrs Skine between 2001 and 2002. She has been a partner at Messrs Zaid Ibrahim & Co. since 2002, and starting in 2003, she was a partner at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. LLP in Singapore.^[1]

Early political career

During her time practicing law, Azalina also influenced her political career. On 1 April 2001, she was appointed the founding head of Puteri UMNO and later the first approved head of Puteri UMNO, serving from 1 November 2002 to 2004.^[9] As the head of Puteri UMNO, she automatically became one of the six vice presidents of UMNO. In the 2004 general election and 2008 general election, she won the Pengerang parliamentary seat unopposed. Following her successful outcomes, she was reappointed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Malaysia's first-ever female^[6] Minister of Youth and Sports from 31 March 2004 to 7 March 2008 and then named as Minister of Tourism from 18 March 2008 to 9 April 2009.^[1]

In the 2013 general election, Azalina defended her Pengerang seat with 26,992 votes out of 37,999 eligible voters.^[10] That same year, she managed parliamentary affairs while serving as chairperson of the Parliamentary Women's Caucus.^[6] She became a non-independent, non-executive director of the Chemical Company of Malaysia (CCM) on 13 November 2013.^[11] Shortly after taking office as chairman of the FINAS on 1 June 2015, Azalina urged regional filmmakers to incorporate national issues into their works, regardless of genre.^[12]

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department

Following a cabinet reshuffle in July 2015, Azalina resigned as chairman of CCM on 28 July^[11][13] and rejoined the cabinet the next day as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.^[14] She also announced her resignation as chairman of FINAS after her reappointment. Azalina revealed that she learned about her new ministerial appointment through a radio broadcast while in her constituency.^[15][16]

In March 2016, during public concern over the 1MDB scandal, Azalina expressed support for then-Prime Minister Najib Razak by tweeting, "I am from #Johor, and I #RespectMyPM," along with her state flag. This statement led to online debate, with many Malaysians criticising Najib's leadership and disagreeing with her position. The hashtag #RespectMyPM became a top trend on Twitter, reflecting the divide between Najib's supporters and opponents.^[17] On 28 June 2016, Azalina was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department responsible for Legal Affairs,^[18] taking over from Nancy Shukri.^[19] In the 2018 general election, she successfully defended her Pengerang seat, winning 21,829 votes against her closest rival from Bersatu, Norliza Ngadiran, who received 10,412 votes.^[10]

Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

On 13 July 2020, Azalina was appointed as the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat following a motion by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.^[20] She resigned from the position on 23 August 2021,^[21] citing ethical, personal, and political reasons, including a conflict between her role in the ruling coalition and her membership in the UMNO Supreme Council. She also expressed concern that the lack of collective decision-making in the Dewan Rakyat affected her ability to perform her duties impartially and effectively.^[22]

Special Advisor on Law and Human Rights

On 2 October 2021, Azalina was appointed Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Law and Human Rights by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.^[23] On 27 August 2022, she criticised the prime minister for not appointing a new Attorney General (AG), arguing that the AG should align with the prime minister due to the position’s significant powers. She also questioned the Federal Court's rejection of Najib's request to delay his trial and suggested that more UMNO leaders could face prosecution under the current AG.^[24] Her remarks, made during an UMNO meeting, led to calls for her resignation from Ngeh Koo Ham, who said her comments undermined the rule of law.^[25] Azalina resigned as the prime minister’s special adviser on law and human rights, submitting her resignation on 29 August 2022 with a one-month notice period, during which she was on leave and did not work at the Prime Minister's Department.^[26] In the 2022 general election, Azalina retained her Pengerang seat under Barisan National, securing 21,738 votes.^[10]

Minister of Law and Institutional Reform

Azalina in 2022

On 3 December 2022, Azalina, as the newly appointed Minister of Law and Institutional Reform, pledged to review and amend outdated laws to ensure they remain relevant.^[27] On 30 October 2024, she was appointed president of the 13th session of the Assembly of Parties of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, marking the first time Malaysia has held this position.^[28][29]

Personal life

Azalina has an interest in taekwondo and holds a black belt.^[1]

Awards and honours

Awards

Azalina has received several awards and recognitions throughout her career. In 2003, she was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.^[5] In 2008, she received the Women and Sport Award from the International Olympic Committee.^[30] From 2016 to 2018, she served as the Mentor Minister for UM, and she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Southern Queensland.^[6] In 2024, she received the Global Islamic Finance Awards Special Award for her leadership in legislative and institutional reforms related to Islamic finance, particularly in arbitration reform.^[31]

Honours

• Kedah :
  • Knight Commander of the Glorious Order of the Crown of Kedah (DGMK) – Dato' Wira (2006)^[32]
• Pahang :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2007)^[33]
• Perak :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2007)^[34]
• Sabah :
  • Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) – Datuk (2003)^[35]
• Selangor :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Datin Paduka (2005)^[36]

Notes

1. Jawi: ازلينا بنت عثمان سعيد
2. Azalina's work as a lawyer and a talk show host who addressed controversial subjects with a straightforward interviewing manner initially brought her to the attention of UMNO leaders.^[8]