Fadhlina binti Sidek ( Jawi: ; born 16 October 1977) is a Malaysian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

who has served as the

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in the Unity Government administration under

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim (; born 10 August 1947), also known by his abbreviation as DSAI and PMX, is a Malaysian politician who is the 10th prime minister of Malaysia since 2022. A member of the People's Justice Party (Malaysia), People's Justice P ...

since December 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Nibong Tebal Nibong Tebal is a suburb of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at the northern bank of the Kerian River within the Southern Seberang Perai District, it is the southernmost populated place of Penang. Nibong Tebal containe ...

since November 2022. She served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from September 2021 to her resignation in November 2022. She is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH coalition. She has also served as the Women Chief of PKR since July 2022. She is also the first female Minister of Education in Malaysian history. Prior to her career in politics, Fadhlina was an activist and lawyer who specialized in Islamic family law and child welfare. She also had her own Sharia law firm, Tetuan Fadhlina Siddiq & Associates.

Early life and education

Fadhlina is the daughter of the late Siddiq Fadzil, former President of the

Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) or the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia is an Islamic organisation in Malaysia founded on 6 August 1971 at Dewan Al-Malik Faisal in Petaling Jaya. It emerged from the student movement PKPIM and was initially ...

(ABIM). She received her early education at Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Semenyih before completing her secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Kajang, a boarding school ( SBP ) at Selangor in 1994. She went on to study at the

International Islamic University of Malaysia The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is a public university in Malaysia. Headquartered in Gombak, Selangor, IIUM has six other campuses all over Malaysia: two medical-centric campuses and a Centre for Foundation Studies in Gam ...

(IIUM), where she received her LLB and LLB (Sharia) degrees in 2002, and her LLM from the

National University of Malaysia The National University of Malaysia (, abbreviated as UKM) is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), ...

(UKM) in 2008.

Career

Fadhlina began her political career in 2020 when she joined the PKR party and was appointed as the Chairman of the Women's Bureau of Law and Community Development. She was also elected as the party's Women's Chief in July of the same year. In September 2021, she was appointed to the Senate to represent the state of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. In the

2022 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 loca ...

, she was the PKR candidate for the Nibong Tebal parliamentary seat and was successful in defeating the incumbent, Mansor Othman of the PN, by a margin of 16,293 votes.

Personal life

Fadhlina is married to Mohd Fadzli Arsad and they have six children.

Election results

Honours

* : **

MY Pingat Pertabalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVII ribbon

Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)

References