Hajah Fuziah binti Salleh (Jawi: فوزية بنت صالح; born on 13 July 1959) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Ministers Salahuddin Ayub and Armizan Mohd Ali as well as Senator since December 2022. She served as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of religious affairs in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and former Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuantan from March 2008 to November 2022. She is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH coalition. She has also served as the Secretary-General of PKR since September 2024. She also served as the State Chairperson of PKR of Pahang from May 2024 to September 2024, Women Chief of PKR from July 2020 to July 2022 and Vice President of PKR from November 2010 to August 2014 as well as the State Chairperson of PH of Pahang from March 2019 to September 2022.

Early life, academic qualifications and work experience

Fuziah Salleh was born in Johor, but grew up in Pahang. She had her early education at the Methodist Girls School in Kuantan. Fuziah went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Reading, and followed by a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK). Fuziah is married to Russly Bin Abdul Rahman with six children. Before entering politics, Fuziah was a corporate trainer and training consultant for multinationals, corporate institutions and NGOs in the area of human resource development and women's empowerment. She is experienced in counselling various interest groups in both the UK and Malaysia, ranging from youth, students, married couples, and women involved in domestic violence. In the mid-90s, she was attached to a state government institution as a counsellor and was also responsible for setting up a voluntary counselling unit, which is named Unit Kaunseling Islah JIM (1993) where she later became the advisor and trainer for the volunteers there.

Political career

In the early stage of Reformasi movement in Malaysia, Fuziah Salleh was one of the leaders of an Islamic NGO, Jamaah Islah Malaysia (widely known as JIM) and also the "early bath group" joined National Justice Party which was established on 4 April 1999. National Justice Party was later merged with the older Malaysian People's Party to establish the People's Justice Party on 3 August 2003.

Positions in People's Justice Party (PKR)

Malaysian general election results

Fuziah Salleh ran unsuccessfully for Malaysian Parliament twice, before winning a parliament seat of Kuantan in the 12th General Election of Malaysia. On 8 March 2008, Fuziah successfully defeated incumbent Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) heavyweight Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, who was also the incumbent Deputy Internal Security Minister. In the 13th general election, MCA loaned the Kuantan parliamentary seat to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), to capitalise on the increase in Malay voters who now made up 63 per cent of Kuantan's over 55,000 voters. The Kuatan seat loan was also perceived as a tactical move by Barisan Nasional (BN) to counter the Chinese community still against the controversial Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan. Despite facing stiff competition from UMNO, on 5 May 2013, PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh not only retained the Kuantan seat for the second term but with an increased majority of 4,515 votes, after defeating Datuk Mohamed Suffian Awang. Datuk Mohamed Suffian Awang was Kuantan UMNO Youth Chief and the Political Secretary to the BN chairman and the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak. Both UMNO and MCA are the major component parties of the BN ruling coalition.

Parliamentary representative

Representing Malaysian Parliament in international programs

Election results

Community leadership

Stop Lynas Rare Earth Refinery Campaign in Kuantan

Fuziah Salleh has spearheaded the "Stop Lynas Rare Earth Refinery" campaign in Kuantan after being elected as the Member of Parliament for Kuantan in 2008. Fuziah has been raising her concern over the risks of having Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) near Kuantan in the Parliament of Malaysia since 18 November 2008. "Concerned Citizen of Kuantan" was a civil society group initiated by Fuziah in December 2008 to discuss actions should be taken by the Kuantan community against the hazardous Lynas rare earth refinery project. Committee of "Concerned Citizen of Kuantan" was formed after a meeting held by Fuziah to discuss the LAMP issues with about 20 residents and professionals from different ethnic groups and NGOs near Kuantan. The awareness campaign about the hazardous LAMP organised between 2008 and 2010 was taxing with limited organisations and individuals willing to render assistance. Also, only the local Chinese media picked up the alleged LAMP issues, while both the English and Malay media didn't. In 2009, Fuziah's team managed to get media coverage of the LAMP problems in Kuantan via the Malaysian television channels, both the NTV7's and the TV2's Mandarin programs. After fighting a solo battle for more than two years to stop the Lynas plant from being built in Malaysia. In early March 2011, public awareness has been heightened by the articles on the Lynas project published in the New York Times. At the same time, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has ramped up fear in the Malaysian people about the risks of radioactive exposure. Since then, the "Stop Lynas Rare Earth Refinery" campaign has started to gain momentum. The anti-Lynas group led by Fuziah Salleh had gradually evolved into a bigger civil society group, i.e. "Save Malaysia Stop Lynas" (SMSL). SMSL was initiated and loosely formed by Fuziah and her PKR team in March 2011, after a signature drive launched and public talk on the urgent need to cease the Lynas plant from commencing operations in Malaysia. Fuziah and team then passed their contacts to the SMSL committee with verbal agreement that all "Stop Lynas Rare Earth Refinery" NGOs, activists, professionals and experts to work together, and under the umbrella of Kuantan MP YB Fuziah Salleh. Along the path of her struggle against LAMP, various anti-Lynas groups, NGOs and NGIs have been mushrooming. During the early days of the "Stop Lynas" campaign, Fuziah led the local residents and environmentalists in petition collecting, PicBadging, leafleting, briefing and a civil protest movement. The online portals and social media have played a significant role in keeping more people informed about the hazardous LAMP project in Gebeng, Kuantan. On 2 May 2011, Fuziah presented the Lynas rare earth refinery case study that claimed far-reaching consequences on Kuantan communities' civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as the environment at the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples' Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia. In May 2011, the LAMP issues have started to attract more attentions from both the local and the international media – especially both Al-Jazeera 101 East and Australian Network Newsline broadcast programs observing the present situation of Kuantan's people over the Lynas project. This followed by the local television channel NTV7 Siasat Mandarin, which aired the updated LAMP issues on 9 June 2011 with Malay subtitle. In July 2011, Fuziah also stepped up the campaign in Europe attempting to stop the Lynas rare earth refinery plant from operating in Malaysia, after completed her dialogue on ASEAN Women Leaders with European partners.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Review on Lynas

The government of Malaysia has bowed to public pressure in April 2011 and brought in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct a month-long review by a team of nine international experts on the construction of the Lynas rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng, Kuantan. During the visit of the IAEA-led team to Kuantan, its meeting with stakeholders ended in chaos. Several anti-Lynas activists and journalists were injured and threatened, and 3 UMNO assemblymen from the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition even provoked PKR Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh when she arrived on the scene of the IAEA review panel. The review led by the IAEA panel concluded on 28 June 2011, and it claimed "was not able to identify any non-compliance with international radiation safety standards" by putting forward eleven recommendations for Lynas to meet before beginning operations, which have been adopted by the BN ruling coalition. Despite the claimed hazards, the government of Malaysia is eager for investment by Lynas, even offering a 12-year tax holiday. Fuziah Salleh, local residents, environmentalists and professional bodies such as Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Malaysian Bar Council have questioned the credibility of the IAEA review. They have called for the LAMP to be scrapped by pointing out the IAEA review panel didn't include the medical experts and the IAEA report doesn't assure LAMP will be safe. Also, it is claimed that neither the long-term waste management nor the possible contamination of surface water and atmosphere by radioactive waste material were addressed in the radiological impact assessment (RIA) report. These worries have been further spurred by the New York Times article dated 29 June 2011, reporting the LAMP may be needed redesign work, with memos, e-mail messages and photos from Lynas and its contractors provided to the journalist by the engineers who worked at the LAMP. Regardless of the criticisms, Putrajaya dismissed offhand this New York Times report without probing, and such flippant attitude of the Najib administration was slammed by Fuziah.

Anti-Lynas rally

Kuantan Residents To Launch Legal Action Against Lynas

Science, Technology And Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) on Lynas

Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Lynas

Lynas To Initiate Legal Action Against Malaysian Civilians

SMSL counter sues Lynas

Full operating license granted

On 2 September 2014, Lynas was issued a 2-year Full Operating Stage License (FOSL) by the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB)