Izzana Salleh steps forward as Umno Delegate, with a mother’s pride behind her

SHAH ALAM — It was a quiet but symbolic moment captured in a single photograph: two women dressed in white and red scarves, standing before a towering portrait of a nationalist icon, red scarves framing their smiles.

For former Umno Wanita Chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the moment marked not just another Umno General Assembly but a deeply personal milestone — watching her daughter, Izzana Salleh, step into the party’s highest annual gathering as an official delegate in her own right.

Izzana has been selected as a delegate to the 2025 Umno General Assembly taking place this week, a moment her mother described as historical.

In a social media post that quickly drew attention within Umno circles, Shahrizat reflected on the journey that brought them here, from raising a child immersed in the rhythms of party life to witnessing her emergence as a political figure with her own voice.

“A child born and raised in the world of Umno," Shahrizat wrote, acknowledging the reality of Izzana’s upbringing.

Few children of senior politicians escape the long shadows cast by their parents’ careers, and Izzana’s early years were shaped by Umno assemblies, grassroots programmes and political conversations that formed the backdrop of family life.

Yet, Shahrizat was careful to highlight that Izzana’s presence at the assembly is not merely a continuation of legacy.

“She has earned her stripes on her own after all these years,” she wrote.

Those words resonate in a party increasingly sensitive to accusations of political inheritance and elite recycling. Within Umno, the emergence of second-generation leaders has often been met with scepticism, making Izzana’s selection as a delegate particularly meaningful.

It signals recognition from the ground, a nod from the party machinery that this is not simply by association but a member who has put in the work.