Azalina Othman Said
Azalina Othman Said | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| أزلينا عثمان سعيد | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Azalina in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 31 December 1963 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | UMNO (1990–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Azalina binti Othman Said (born 31 December 1963) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as the Member of Parliament for Pengerang since 2004 and as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department since 2022.
Azalina was born on 31 December 1963 in Johor Bahru, grew up in Penang and comes from a mixed Buginese and Hadrami Arab heritage. She pursued legal and public administration studies, earning degrees from Universiti Teknologi MARA, the University of Malaya, International Islamic University Malaysia, and the London School of Economics. Azalina began her legal career as a legal assistant at Messrs Raja Darryl & Loh in 1988, was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 1989, and joined UMNO in 1990. She specialised in women's affairs, civil claims, and corporate banking, becoming a partner at Azalina Chan & Chia in 1994 and later at Messrs Skine and Zaid Ibrahim & Co., including its Singapore branch. In 2000, she was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council, becoming the youngest woman to hold the position.
Azalina served as founding head of Puteri UMNO from 2001 to 2004, focusing on recruiting young professional Malay women. In 2004, she won the Pengerang parliamentary seat unopposed and was appointed Malaysia's first female Minister of Youth and Sports, serving until 2008, before becoming Minister of Tourism in 2008–2009. Despite a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation in 2009 and being dropped from the cabinet under Najib Razak, she continued her political career, defending her parliamentary seat in subsequent elections and holding roles such as chairperson of the Parliamentary Women's Caucus, chairman of National Film Development Corporation Malaysia, and non-executive director of Chemical Company of Malaysia.
Azalina returned to the cabinet in 2015 as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, overseeing legal affairs, and publicly supported Najib during the 1MDB scandal, attracting debate. Azalina later served as the first female Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat from 2020 to 2021 and as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Law and Human Rights from 2021 to 2022. In the 2022 general election, she retained her Pengerang seat and was appointed Minister of Law and Institutional Reform, pledging to modernise outdated laws, and in 2024 became the first Malaysian president of the International Anti-Corruption Academy's Assembly of Parties.