Zaleha Ismail – Your flame will never die

The late Tan Sri Zaleha Ismail was an iconic leader in empowering women in Malaysia. — Filepic/The Star

The grey skies, low clouds, drizzly rain and gusts of wind over Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland, echo the sombre sadness at the news of the demise of Tan Sri Zaleha Ismail on Saturday (Nov 14, 2020), aged 84. She was a giant icon of women’s advancement and family and community development for a harmonious, progressive and peaceful Malaysia.

An activist at heart, she sought to fight her causes through journalism, politics and civil society. Never one to be half-hearted, she deservedly became a shining iota of the miniscule statistics of women elected representatives in the Malaysian Parliament and a full Cabinet minister. On the civil society side, she succeeded Tun Fatimah Hashim as the president of the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) and was given the mandate by more than 100 women NGOs affiliated to the council to hold the post until she stepped down 17 years later.