Wife of Malaysia’s opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim. Mother of star politician Nurul Izzah Anwar. President of Malaysia’s opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). And soon, it is likely that everyone can add one more title for Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail: Kajang assemblywoman.

The 61-year old is a candidate for the Kajang by-election, replacing her husband who has been disqualified from contesting after a sodomy conviction was upheld in court. “Dr Wan Azizah is once again forced to be the reluctant saviour ~ the loyal wife who has to dig deep into her inner energy to be many things all at once,” said Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “She is the alter ego of her husband, mother to her children, and the alternate glue that binds the disparate opposition parties together.”