Anfaal Saari

Summary

Anfaal binti Saari is the AMANAH assemblywoman for Taman Templer, Selangor, and a member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) since August 2023, holding the Women Empowerment and Welfare portfolio. A first-time candidate in the 2023 Selangor state election, she won the seat with a majority of 467 votes. She is the daughter of former Hulu Kelang MLA Saari Sungib and has been active in AMANAH politics, serving as Division Women Chief of Gombak and, from December 2023, as Deputy Women Chief of AMANAH nationally.

Biography

Anfaal binti Saari is a Malaysian politician serving as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Taman Templer and as a member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, both positions held since August 2023 [1]. She is a member of the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, and holds the position of Division Women Chief of Gombak within the party [1]. Since December 2023, she has also served as Deputy Women Chief of AMANAH nationally [1]. Prior to her election, she served as a councillor on the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) [1]. She is the daughter of Saari Sungib, a three-term former Hulu Kelang MLA who did not seek re-election in 2023 due to health reasons [2]. Anfaal was 44 years old and a first-time candidate when she contested the 2023 Selangor state election, winning the Taman Templer seat by a majority of 467 votes over Perikatan Nasional's Zaidy Abdul Talib [2]. Upon being sworn in as EXCO on 21 August 2023, she was appointed to oversee the portfolio of Women Empowerment and Welfare, covering women and family empowerment, social welfare, and the care economy [3]. She is one of only two female EXCO members in Selangor, alongside Jamaliah Jamaluddin [1]. Her political involvement traces back to the late 1990s Reformasi movement, when her father's activism first drew her into public life [4].

Known for

Anfaal Saari is known as the Selangor EXCO member responsible for women empowerment, social welfare, and the care economy — portfolios she has used to introduce programmes such as MamaKerja, a childcare incentive for working mothers, and the Bingkas financial aid scheme targeting households earning below RM5,000 [2][2]. She is also publicly identified as the daughter of veteran AMANAH politician and former Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib, who stepped down from electoral politics in 2023 due to ill health [2]. As one of only two female EXCO members in Selangor, she has been a public advocate for increasing women's political representation in the state assembly to at least 30% [2].

Political positions

Anfaal Saari's publicly reported positions centre on women's welfare, the care economy, and inclusive social policy. She has championed the formalisation of Selangor's care economy through a dedicated Care Economy Policy 2024–2030, framing caregiving — particularly by women — as a pillar of economic development rather than a purely social concern [2]. On women's political representation, she has stated that women in Selangor hold only 16% of elected seats and called for that figure to rise to a minimum of 30%, citing the 1995 Beijing Declaration [5]. She has advocated for the rights of persons with disabilities, overseeing the launch of the Selangor Persons with Disabilities Policy and Action Plan 2026–2030, which she described as a shift from a passive welfare approach toward one centred on rights and active participation [3]. On child welfare, she led the formation of a special task force to rehabilitate children rescued from GISB-linked charity homes in 2024, co-chairing the task force alongside the state's Islamic Affairs EXCO [6]. She has also addressed out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies in Selangor as a serious public concern, announcing a structured roundtable framework to develop comprehensive responses [5]. On ageing policy, she has signalled the state government's intent to introduce a Silver Workforce Initiative and expand support for senior citizens in anticipation of Selangor's elderly population reaching 15% within five years [2].

Before politics

1. Late 1990sDrawn into political activism following the 1998 arrest of Anwar Ibrahim and the Reformasi movement, in which her father Saari Sungib was an active participant.⛓
2. Pre-2023Served as a councillor on the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).⛓

Political career

1. Pre-2023Served as Division Women Chief of Gombak for AMANAH and as vice-chief of Angkatan Wanita Amanah (national women's wing).⛓
2. 12 August 2023Won the Taman Templer state seat in the 2023 Selangor state election under PH-AMANAH, defeating PN-PAS candidate Zaidy Abdul Talib by 467 votes.⛓
3. 21 August 2023Sworn in as a member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO), one of ten EXCO members under Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.⛓
4. 23 August 2023Appointed EXCO for Women Empowerment and Welfare, with responsibility for women and family empowerment, social welfare, and the care economy.⛓
5. December 2023Appointed Deputy Women Chief of AMANAH at the national level.⛓
6. October 2024Co-chaired a Selangor government special task force on rehabilitation of children rescued from GISB-linked charity homes, alongside the state's Islamic Affairs EXCO.⛓
7. June 2026Launched the Selangor Persons with Disabilities Policy and Action Plan 2026–2030, framing it as a shift from passive welfare toward rights-based empowerment.⛓

Election history

• 2023Taman Templer (N15), SelangorWon49.67%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentSelangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari's office confirmed Anfaal Saari's appointment as EXCO for Women Empowerment and Welfare, noting the care economy portfolio was placed under her oversight as a new area the state government wants to expand, including aged care and child care.⛓
• VerifiedFactsThe Star reported on 13 August 2023 that Anfaal Saari won the Taman Templer seat with 22,247 votes against Zaidy Abdul Talib's 21,780 and Aida Rahman's 765, a majority of 467 votes. The constituency has 62,978 registered voters.⛓
• VerifiedFactsBernama reported in November 2024 that Anfaal Saari, as State Women's Development and Social Welfare Committee chairman, disclosed 1,354 out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies in Selangor between 2023 and September 2024, and announced a framework for a roundtable discussion to address the issue.⛓
• PublicFree Malaysia Today reported in May 2018 that Anfaal Saari described her own political awakening as rooted in her family's direct experience of the Reformasi movement and her father's two-year detention under the Internal Security Act in 2001, which shaped her commitment to political change.⛓