With her youthful sweet face, Nurul Izzah Anwar, 22, is the natural poster girl for the reformasi movement. But more than that, the First Daughter of reformasi has also helped to bring the movement to international attention. During reformasi's heyday a few years ago, she took a six-month leave of absence from her university studies and created her fair share of stirs by giving speeches in international forums throughout Asia and Europe, meeting leaders such as Joseph Estrada, BJ Habibie, Cory Aquino and Madeleine Albright.
At her home in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, recently, the third-year electrical engineering student at Universiti Tenaga Nasional shares with
malaysiakini
a little of how life has been like for her five siblings and her since Sept 20, 1998, when their father, Anwar Ibrahim, once the heir apparent to the highest office in the country, was arrested and their carefree world changed forever.
Malaysiakini: How is your father now?
Nurul Izzah: Last week he had gastric, he's not feeling too well. It's very hot and it's worse in his room as there is no air ventilation. When we saw him he was drenched in sweat. The back and neck braces he is wearing made him more uncomfortable. We tried to fan him with whatever papers that we had, but it did not help much.
Do you think your father has a chance to be acquitted?
We keep hoping and praying for that. Allah is always there. But at the same time we are prepared for any eventuality. Of course that (acquittal) is our fervent hope. But most importantly, we want him to receive medical treatment. That's the most important thing to us right now, more than anything.
Did the decisions made on the cases of lawyer Zainur Zakaria and freelance writer MGG Pillai raise your hopes for your father's freedom? (The Federal Court quashed the conviction handed down on Zainur for contempt of court while representing Anwar. The Federal Court also allowed a review of its earlier decision which awarded tycoon Vincent Tan RM2 million in damages against Pillai for libel.)
It remains to be seen. I suppose the decision had elevated our hope to some extent. But this is Malaysia with the current government. But then again, you will never know.
How do you motivate your siblings to go on with their lives in your father's absence?
I encourage every one of us to communicate with him as often as possible. We write letters to him. His actions and words motivate us. Like when Hana (the youngest sibling, aged 10) read the Ayat Kursi (one of the chapters in the Quran) by memory, he was so impressed and praised Hana. He then jokingly tells us, the older ones, that we ought to be ashamed as Hana was the exemplary one. We are jovial and make jokes a lot with each other. Our grandfather always gets angry at us for laughing too much.
But there are also moments of sadness. Like on Mother's Day, Dad was so touched when we had a simple celebration together with our parents during one visit. I could see that he was overwhelmed with joy when we presented him with a special card we made by ourselves. It was (second sibling) Nurul Nuha's idea, actually. It was a big card where our parents' coloured photo was surrounded by the black and white photos of us. We told our parents that they had brought colours to our life. It was a touching yet sad moment for us. He is still a large part of our lives although he is physically not with us most of the time. So whatever few moments we have together, we treasure them.
Do you tend to get over-protective of your younger siblings?
Sometimes, yes. Most of the time it's Hana who gives the "searching for answers" looks and asking us this and that. I do relax sometimes but when things like intruders attacking us at home and the strange calls [happen], I get worried. But we try to tell the young ones what's going on. We do explain the situation our father is facing. Nothing is hidden from them.
Who among your siblings resemble your father most?
I think each of us carries some of our father's strength. Nuha follows my father's bold character. She's very gutsy and strong. She has the fighting spirit.
Do you think Nurul Nuha will make a good and active leader?
That remains to be seen. Nuha is only 18 and is still doing her A-levels at Help Institute and right now all I know is that she is planning to take up architecture.
Ihsan, 17, is the only boy in the family. Is he the most affected by what happened to your father?
He was very angry and it was very difficult for him to contain the anger and the feeling of helplessness. It was easier for the rest of us to control our emotions but he was the "man" of the house after our father's arrest. He had it hard because he felt helpless not being able to do anything to save our father. Yes, it was very difficult for him during those trying times.
How is he now?
He's much better now. We call him in Australia where he stays with his foster Arab family and he's very much involved in the fight for Palestine's freedom. He goes to the rallies and says that he sometimes shout "reformasi". He feels very strongly about it. He is studying at Victoria Islamic College and he seems quite happy.
So you no longer worry for him?
Occasionally, I do. Like during the time he called to inform me about the bomb threat in his school after the Sept 11 incident. He sounded excited about it and did not seem to notice that I was horrified. But he assured me that everything was all right. My father misses him very much. The last time they met was during the last Hari Raya.
Your father was sacked, then arrested, assaulted and charged within a month. How did you feel then?
We were all very angry. They raided our house three times after my father was arrested. And you just don't know what their next action would be. But we were also scared. We feared for his safety. We didn't know whether he was dead or alive. We were scared for him.
Were you not angry when you found out that your father was assaulted while in detention?
Oh, my God! The anger was... I cannot describe it. Then when I saw his eye, it was... I was so angry. Such cruelty! The person who did it was so inhumane. For God's sake, why? Is it not enough that you humiliated him, you arrested him and charged him. And this! I was very, very angry. All of us were. It was horrible. He has not done anything to deserve such a bad treatment. He was always patient, even at the time of the arrest he politely asked the police for the warrant. He never swears. We should know because we are his children and he never swears. You really wish Allah balas balik (punish) to the person who did it.
Have you forgiven the man who did it (former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor)?
My father's life was at stake. As a Muslim I know I have to. I know that this is a will of God. My father says that he doesn't want us to grow up in hatred. But it's really difficult.
Is the anger still there?
Yes, of course it is. It's not easy. I'm still trying to come to terms with that. It's not just a simple assault. It had led to other complications as well. If the government shows a slight compassion and allows him to seek the medical treatment he wants then maybe we can give some concession from our side. But the fact remains: This is how they are treating my father. Not an ounce of sympathy or humanity was granted to him. So, it's not that easy to forgive.
You said that you always discuss with your father before making decisions relating to your future and education. When and how did you two have these discussions?
Well, I saw him daily during both trials and we had discussions during breaks. After the trials ended, I met him in prison every month. Then as time passed, we were allowed the normal weekly visit in accordance with the prison's rule. But each visit lasts for only 45 minutes. The younger ones get to talk to him first, then it's my mother about politics, then my grandfathers and only then I get to discuss things with him. So it is very limited. The next thing you know, the time is up!
We heard you have decided to start writing?
Yes, I am writing for Suara Anum
, a website which allows anyone under the age of 35 to write about issues from politics to art. It's a good site and it really has some real serious issues. Actually it was its editor, Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad, who convinced me to write.Did you seek any advice on writing from your father?
The deadline did not permit me to show my first article before it was published. But I did print my story and showed it to him. Alhamdullilah , he seemed happy with it. To get a positive comment from my dad is good enough for me because to achieve his standard (of writing) is very hard.
Do you think that you have more responsibilities compared with other students because you are the eldest child to Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Wan Azizah Ismail?
I don't think so. Everybody has their own problems. Of course I miss my carefree days. After things changed, life has not been easy. Especially when I face my younger siblings. But I am not complaining. The only thing I regret is my father's sufferings.
How do you overcome the pressure?
I pray a lot. And if you listen to the meanings of certain Quranic verses, you'll learn that there are even worse situations faced by other people. Sometimes I just put on some rock music to relax. But seriously, I believe that God will always be there for me and that's my strongest strength.
What role does your mother play in helping you to overcome the problems?
She is simply the greatest! She tries her best all the time despite being busy with the party (Parti Keadilan Nasional). She tries to shield us kids from difficult events. But I feel that the three eldest children should help her whenever we can. I know it's not easy for her to handle everything. I wish I could do more to help her, like I did during my study leave. But she's a very strong woman. Like my father, she prays a lot to help her cope with the hard times. We always pray after each prison visit so that we will never lose hope.
What activities do you miss most doing with your dad?
We did all kinds of things together. But what I really miss is having dinner with him. No matter how busy he was, he rarely missed dinner with the family. I also miss having sahur (pre-dawn meal during fasting month) with him. He was the one who woke up everyone for sahur . After the arrest, we really hate to get up for sahur knowing that he's not around.
What do you do during your free time?
I read a lot of books. Right now I'm reading Malcolm X. I like listening to music. A bit of rock, but no boy bands (laughs). I like to travel. I remember walking with my dad in Italy under the moonlight.
This is the first half the Q&A with Nurul Izzah Anwar. The second half will appear tomorrow.
