Islam and democracy can co-exist, says Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, MP Nurul Izzah

“We are not dealing with just any government,” Mrs Nurul Izzah recalled. “We are dealing with a Malaysian government that’s so afraid of losing power. They were so brutal in cracking down on dissent. It was crazy. I was myself manhandled and almost arrested and I’m a member of parliament.”

Barney Henderson @The Telegraph

Mrs Nurul Izzah, 31, who has been touted as a potential future prime minister, revealed that in her fight to clear her father’s name and her work to ensure the forthcoming elections are democratic, she had received physical threats against her four-year-old daughter.

She is a young Muslim woman leader with a sense that change is now a real possibility in Malaysia after over 50 years of being dominated by the ruling National Front.

Her father, Mr Anwar, 64, was arrested in the aftermath of the 2008 election over allegations he sodomised a male aide, but was cleared of the charges last month.

His release has rejuvenated the opposition, opening the way for a challenge to the ruling party at elections expected later this year.

“We felt vindicated and overjoyed [by Mr Anwar’s release], but stress that this is only the beginning. Much reform still needs to take place,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“However, my family and I can’t really describe how wonderful it was that he was declared innocent as we always said he was.”

Mrs Nurul Izzah was elected to parliament in 2008, when Malaysia's opposition coalition won 37 per cent of the vote, shaking the foundations of the National Front that has ruled the country since independence from Britain in 1957.

One of the reasons the opposition gained such a foothold at the last election was the use of blogs and the internet to spread their message of change.

“The print media and television does not give any air time to the opposition, and so the only way to circumvent this is to rely on the internet,” Mrs Nurul Izzah said.

“The key is communicating with the electorate and ensuring that this election is free from fraudulent practises.

“I am in touch with the Foreign Office, and we hope that Britain will send observers to ensure that the election is carried out in a proper, fair and open manner.”

Stating the Arab Spring that swept north Africa and Middle East last year will “certainly” have an impact in Malaysia, Mrs Nurul Izzah said: “What happened in Egypt and other parts of the Arab world served as reassurance that Islam and democracy can and should co-exist, and this is very important to Malaysia. We must now ensure change takes place in Malaysia.”

A pro-democracy rally held in Kuala Lumpur last July was forcefully broken up by police, who fired teargas and arrested 1,400 people.

“We are not dealing with just any government,” Mrs Nurul Izzah recalled. “We are dealing with a Malaysian government that’s so afraid of losing power. They were so brutal in cracking down on dissent. It was crazy. I was myself manhandled and almost arrested and I’m a member of parliament.”

She also revealed that she had received phone threats that her daughter would be harmed if she continued her reform agenda.

“I received a threat against my daughter – she’s four and half years old – that she will be harmed if I continued to support my father and the ideals of the party,” she said.

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