Azalina Othman Said

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) — Government of Malaysia (UMNO/BN)

About Azalina Othman Said

Key facts Role: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Organisation: Government of Malaysia (UMNO/BN) Country: Malaysia Sector: Politics & Government (legal reform) Headline figures: Term-limit bill won 146 votes on 2 March 2026, two short of the 148 needed Malaysia's most ambitious constitutional reforms in years came within two votes of passing, and Azalina Othman Said is trying again. On 2 March 2026 the bill she introduced to cap a prime minister's tenure at 10 years won 146 votes in the Dewan Rakyat, two short of the 148 needed for a two-thirds majority. Thirty-two MPs were absent and 44 abstained. On 3 September she said both the term-limit bill and a bill separating the roles of Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor were "ready". Whether to bring them back at the next sitting was a decision for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as Leader of the House, she said. The role Azalina is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), a post she has held since December 2022. She is responsible for drafting and piloting the government's legal and institutional reform agenda through Parliament, and she chairs the parliamentary select committees scrutinising some of those bills. On taking office she pledged to update outdated laws, naming the separation of the Attorney-General's and Public Prosecutor's powers as a priority, The Star reported. She sits in Anwar's unity government as a member of UMNO, part of Barisan Nasional. Background A lawyer by training, she studied at Universiti Teknologi MARA, the University of Malaya, the International Islamic University Malaysia and the London School of Economics. She was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 1989 and practised in civil and corporate law before joining UMNO in 1990. She became founding head of the party's Puteri UMNO women's youth wing in 2001. She has been MP for Pengerang in Johor since 2004. That year she became Malaysia's first woman Minister of Youth and Sports, serving until 2008, and she was Minister of Tourism from 2008 to 2009. She later served as a minister in the Prime Minister's Department under Najib Razak from 2015 to 2018, and as a deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat from 2020 to 2021. “I do not want to hear people claiming, whenever they are charged, that there is some hidden agenda behind it,” — Azalina, in September The March vote The March defeat was a setback for her, but a narrow one. In her winding-up speech, reported by Malaysiakini, she rejected opposition claims that the cap would reduce the King's powers. "The power to appoint (the prime minister) remains with His Majesty, while the (power for) majority support remains with the Dewan Rakyat," she said. "The term limit only determines that the (prime minister's) power cannot be held indefinitely." Perikatan Nasional MPs had said they would abstain. A wider agenda Since then she has widened the agenda. On 13 July 2026 she tabled the Freedom of Information Bill 2026 for first reading, and the Dewan Rakyat referred it to a special select committee for three months of review. At a public town hall on 28 September she said the bill "must provide freedom to information". She said that in her personal view it might need only a simple majority, although the Attorney-General's Chambers argue a constitutional amendment is required, The Star reported. She has pitched the separation of prosecutor and Attorney-General as a way to end claims of politically motivated charges. "I do not want to hear people claiming, whenever they are charged, that there is some hidden agenda behind it," she said in September. Her reforms matter well beyond Malaysia. Term limits for a head of government and an independent public prosecutor chosen through Parliament would be unusual in South-East Asia, which makes Malaysia's attempt a test case for the region. What to watch next: whether Anwar retables the term-limit bill at the next parliamentary sitting and whether it can find the missing votes, the timing of the AG/PP separation bill, and the select committee's report on freedom of information. She ranks 24th because she is writing the rules that could constrain Malaysia's most powerful offices, although her biggest reform has so far fallen just short in Parliament. Sources Malay Mail (Bernama), Azalina: PM term limit and AG/PP separation Bills ready for Parliament , 3 Sep 2026 The Star (Bernama), Bill to limit PM's tenure ready for second reading, says Azalina , 3 Sep 2026 The Star (Teh Athira Yusof, Khoo Gek San), Bill to limit PM tenure fails to get two-thirds majority in Dewan Rakyat , 2 Mar 2026 Malaysiakini, PM term limit bill falters, short of just 2 votes , 2 Mar 2026 The Star (Raganthini Vethasalam, Benjamin Lee), Freedom of Information Bill tabled for first reading in Parliament , 13 Jul 2026 The Edge Malaysia, Parliamentary Select Committees given three months to review Freedom of Information, Admiralty Bills , 4 Aug 2026 The Star (Benjamin Lee), Azalina: FOI Bill may need only simple majority , 29 Sep 2026 The Star, Azalina vows to address, amend outdated laws to be relevant with current times , 3 Dec 2022 Wikipedia, Azalina Othman Said

Why this entry is on the list

She ranks 24th because she is writing the rules that could constrain Malaysia's most powerful offices, although her biggest reform has so far fallen just short in Parliament. Her bill to cap a prime minister's tenure at 10 years won 146 votes on 2 March 2026, two short of the 148 needed, and she has said both it and the bill separating the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor roles are ready.