Nurul Nuha to lead campaign to release Anwar Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR: Imprisoned Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's second daughter Nurul Nuha (pic) will lead the March to Freedom campaign for her family to free the Opposition leader.

The 31-year-old mother of two, was introduced to local and foreign media as the 'face' of the campaign by her elder sister Nurul Izzah, who is a PKR vice president, at their family home in Segambut Dalam, here.

Nurul Izzah had intervened to address the media as Nurul Nuha broke down during the press conference.

She said the focus was to set up the campaign secretariat with Nurul Nuha to become the face of the campaign effort.

"As his children we will take over his mantle and continue his struggle, hopes and ambition.

"These 17 years have been an emotional roller coaster. We do not know how long this struggle will continue but we will be with our father till the end," Nurul Nuha said before breaking down in tears at an emotional charged press conference.

Nurul Nuha added that the March to Freedom would be a local based movement that would reach out to Malaysians abroad while seeking pressure from international bodies to free Anwar who was sentenced by the Federal Court on Tuesday for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in June 2008.

"March to Freedom" is that struggle. A struggle to free our father from unjust incarceration and give voice to Malaysians who have suffered injustice in our country," she said.

Nurul Nuha, who addressed the media for the first time in 1998, said that her father's last words to her and her siblings after the court's verdict on Tuesday was to "take care and remain strong".

The 3D freelance graphic designer was joined by her sisters Nurul Izzah, Nurul Ilham, Nurul Iman, Nurul Hana and brother Ihsan with relatives and several PKR MPs.

When asked why her mother and PKR president Datuk Ser Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was not present at the press conference, Nurul Izzah said that it was time for her other siblings to come forward.

“For 17 years she (Wan Azizah) had to step up to the plate.

“As for me, her children are now adults. Nurul Nuha was only 12 in 1998 and now she needs to be more active,” she said.

She added that her younger sibling would become the face for the campaign.

Asked if it meant the Nurul Nuha was be PKR’s candidate for the Permatang Pauh by-election, Nurul Izzah said the candidate to replace her father would be decided by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council on Friday.

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