Dato' Sri Azalina binti Othman Said ( Jawi: ازلينا بنت عثمان سعيد; born 31 December 1963) is a Malaysian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

who has served as the

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department is a member of Cabinet of Malaysia who administers a portfolio through the Prime Minister's Department. List of Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department The following individuals have been appo ...

from July 2015 to the collapse of the

Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...

(BN) administration in May 2018 and again in the

Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...

(PH) administration under Prime Minister

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim ( ms, انور بن ابراهيم, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, IPA: ; born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia since November 2022. He served as the 1 ...

since December 2022 as well as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

Pengerang Pengerang ( Jawi: ڤڠرڠ; ) is a municipality in Kota Tinggi District, in the Malaysian state of Johor. It was established in 2017. It is home to the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC), a major hub for the oil and gas industry in ...

since March 2004. She served as the Special Advisor to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Ismail Sabri Yaakob Malay styles and titles#State titles, Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob ( ms, اسماعيل صبري بن يعقوب, label=Jawi alphabet, Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 18 January 1960) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian lawyer and poli ...

on Law and Human Rights from September 2021 to her resignation in August 2022, Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat II from July 2020 to her resignation in August 2021,

Minister of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Minist ...

from March 2008 to April 2009 and the Minister of Youth and Sports from March 2004 to March 2008 in the BN administration under former Prime Ministers

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Tun Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi ( Jawi: عبد الله بن احمد بدوي; born 26 November 1939) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia from October 2003 to April 2009. He was also the sixth president of ...

and

Najib Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malay ...

. She created history by being the first female deputy speaker. She is a member of the Supreme Council of the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...

(UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition.

Early life

Azalina was born in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. ...

on 31 December 1963 to a father of Buginese ancestry and a mother of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

lineage. She spent her early years in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the M ...

where she received her elementary education at a Catholic school, Convent Green Lane. Azalina started her tertiary education in

Universiti Teknologi Mara The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Mala ...

(UiTM) (or

Institut Teknologi Mara The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Mal ...

(ITM) as it was known then) by taking her Diploma in Public Administration (DPA). Upon graduating with ITM, she read laws in

Universiti Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian i ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

(Honours.) or LL.B Hons. After graduating in 1988, she went on to further her studies at the

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

, United Kingdom and graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) in 1990. She first started her career in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

as a legal assistant at Messr Raja Darryl & Loh law firm (1988–1989, 1991–1994). After gaining experience, she became an associate partner of Azalina Chan & Chia law firm (1994–2001) and with Messrs Skine (2001–2002). In 2002, she formed a partnership with Messrs Zaid Ibrahim & Co 002–2004 which is the largest law firm in

and later on with Zaid Ibrahim & Co. LLP, Singapore in 2003. Coincidentally,

Zaid Ibrahim Dato' Mohd Zaid bin Ibrahim ( Jawi: محمد زيد بن إبراهيم; born 10 April 1951) is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform (March 2008-September ...

was also her

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

colleague, having been appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in-charge of Legal Affairs at the same time as her appointment as Tourism Minister. Before getting involved in politics, she was the host of various television talk shows, mainly discussing about political, economic and social issues, such as ''Dateline Malaysia'' and ''Lidah Pengarang'' on ntv7.

Political career

* Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia (31 March 2004 – 7 March 2008) * Minister of Tourism Malaysia (18 March 2008 – 9 April 2009) * Minister in the Primer Minister's Department (29 July 2015 – 9 May 2018)

Controversy

On 27 August 2022, Azalina said whoever became prime minister would usually appoint “one of their own” to become the AG, a post which came with wide-ranging powers. Her comments drew criticisms from

Bersatu The Malaysian United Indigenous Party ( ms, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), abbreviated BERSATU or PPBM, is a nationalist political party in Malaysia. The party was preceded by the United Indigenous Association of Malaysia (). It is a major c ...

and

leaders. On 1 September 2022, Azalina has resigned as Prime Minister

’s special adviser for law and human rights.

Election results

Honours

* : ** Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Kedah (DGMK) - Dato' Wira (2006) * : ** MY-PAH Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang - Grand Knight - SSAP

Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) - Dato' Sri (2007) * : ** MY-PERA Order of the Perak State Crown - Kn Grd Commander - SPMP

Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Perak State Crown The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown ( Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak. Background It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 December 1957. ...

(SPMP) - Dato' Seri (2007) * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - PGDK

Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) - Datuk (2003) * : ** MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Commander - DPMS

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Selangor The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Selangor (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Selangor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an order awarded by Sultan of Selangor as a reward for general services to the sultan and state of Selangor. It was foun ...

(DPMS) - Datin Paduka (2005)

Awards

* Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) 2003—awarded by the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alps, Alpine resort town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, muni ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

* Women and Sport Awards 2008—awarded by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Othman Said, Azalina 1963 births Living people People from Johor Bahru People from Johor Malaysian people of Bugis descent Malaysian people of Arab descent Malaysian Muslims 20th-century Malaysian lawyers Malaysian women lawyers Malaysian women's rights activists United Malays National Organisation politicians Members of the Dewan Rakyat Women members of the Dewan Rakyat Government ministers of Malaysia Women government ministers of Malaysia Women in Johor politics Alumni of the London School of Economics University of Malaya alumni Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu 21st-century Malaysian politicians 21st-century Malaysian women politicians Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor 21st-century Malaysian lawyers