Malaysian Members of Parliament Take Part in Student Roundtable

A parliamentary delegation from Malaysia, H.E. Nurul Izzah Bt Anwar and H.E. Nor Azrina Bt Surip, were at GU-Q on January 4, 2019, to meet with Dean Ahmad Dallal, tour the university campus, and meet with students for a roundtable discussion. The MPs were introduced to the student gathering of Malaysian and international GU-Q students by IPOL senior Jawaher Al-Hajri. Jawaher serves as the president of the GU-Q Ambassadors Society which aims to develop student leadership skills through representing the university and connecting with campus visitors.

Addressing the roundtable, H.E. Nurul Izzah spoke about her rise to political prominence and activism as a path born of the necessity to free her father Anwar Ibrahim, a well-known advocate for democracy and international dialogue, from political prison. Now reconciled with the figures responsible for his incarceration, Ibrahim currently serves as the president of the People’s Justice Party and leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition. Noting that her own sister attended Georgetown University, as well as her father as a Senior Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Christian-Arab Understanding in Washington, D.C., she said: “I believe one of the key aspects of Georgetown is that you produce graduates who have certain values, to be the conscience of society, not just the brains that power the economy.”

Fielding questions from students, Izzah spoke at length about strategies for economic reform, the challenges of overcoming ethnic divisions, and the choice of political reconciliation over recrimination in order to move the nation forward. Commenting on her recent decision to reduce her leadership role in her political party despite easily winning her third election, she expressed her plans to continue her role as a strong proponent of human and civil rights with a special interest in prisoners of conscience, and advocating for a reform agenda for Malaysia’s future.