The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders. The Philippines historically used Malay titles in its pre-Hispanic history as evidenced by historical figures Rajah Sulayman, Lakandula and Dayang Kalangitan. Malay titles are still used by the traditional royal houses of Sulu, Maguindanao, Maranao and Iranun in the southern Philippines.

Indonesia, meanwhile, despite being a Republic, recognizes several hereditary rulers and aristocratic systems, mostly those who supported the Independence movement of 1945. The late wife of former President Suharto, for example, was the Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah, not as some say, Madame Suharto. (Under the Dutch in Java, similarly, descendants of the Majoors, Kapiteins and Luitnens der Chinezen were entitled to the hereditary title "Sia".) In the 1930s, the colonial government abolished these titles and Peranakan feudalism, during implementation of their "social policy", whose goal was establishing a more egalitarian society.^{[citation needed]}

Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998.

Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.

In 1999, he was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption, and in 2000, to another nine years for sodomy. In 2004, the Federal Court reversed the second conviction and he was released. In July 2008, he was arrested over allegations he sodomised one of his male aides, but was acquitted of the charge in January 2012.

On 26 August 2008, Anwar won re-election in the Permatang Pauh by-election and returned to Parliament as leader of the Malaysian opposition. He has stated the need for liberalisation, including an independent judiciary and free media, to combat the endemic corruption that he considers pushes Malaysia close to failed state status.

From 1968 to 1971, as a student, Anwar was the president of a Muslim students organisation, Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM). Around the same time, he was also the president of Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Malaya (PBMUM). He was one of the protem committee of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) or Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia which was founded in 1971. He was also elected President of the Malaysian Youth Council or Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM). In 1974, Anwar was arrested during student protests against rural poverty and hunger. This came as a report surfaced stating that a family died from starvation in a village in Baling, in the state of Kedah, despite the fact that it never happened. He was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial, and spent 20 months in the Kamunting Detention Centre.

Wahid Omar, also spelled as Waheed Omar, (وحید عمر) (born March 1978) is a politician in Afghanistan who served as the spokesperson of President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. He was previously the communications director for Karzai's reelection campaign in 2009. During the electoral campaign and the aftermath of the election he was often seen as Karzai's one-man frontline. Both President Karzai's supporters as well as his opponents recognized Waheed Omer's eloquence, civil debate skills, his equal fluency in Pashto and Dari (Persian), and his media-management skills as one of President Karzai's strongest weapons.

Prior to his stint as campaign spokesperson, Omar was the founding director of the Government Media and Information Center, formed in 2009 to oversee communications between the government, Afghan citizens, and the international community.

Waheed Omar was born and raised in Kabul. His early schooling took place in Kabul and Peshawar, Pakistan. He later attended the University of York in the United Kingdom where he received a Master of Arts degree in Political Science. At York, Omar focused on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development. His MA thesis was on South Africa's post-apartheid transitional justice mechanisms and how some of those lessons could be applied to post-war Afghanistan.

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (born 15 August 1953) is a Malaysian politician and the former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the Malaysian cabinet. She is a Senator in the Dewan Negara and the former Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai which she held for 13 years before eventually losing it to first time MP and daughter of de-facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, 27 year old Nurul Izzah Anwar during the 2008 general election.

Shahrizat is the Chairlady of the Women's wing of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and therefore also the Chairlady of the Women's Wing of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Shahrizat is married to Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Salleh Ismail with whom she has three children.

Shahrizat was born in Penang where she attended Northam Road Girls' School and Madrasah Tarbiah Islamiah during her primary years, and pursued her secondary education at St. George's Girls' School.

Shahrizat became the first Minister for Women and Family Development when the ministry was created by the then Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2001. Later, when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became Prime Minister, he revamped the ministry and renamed it to Ministry for Women, Family and Community Development.

Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Beaufort constituency in Sabah, representing the United Malay National Organisation party. He is a Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government in the Barisan Nasional coalition government.

Lajim was elected to Parliament in the 2008 election, replacing the UMNO incumbent Azizah Mohd Dun in the seat of Beaufort. He was subsequently appointed Deputy Minister for Transport, moving to the portfolio of Housing and Local Government in 2009. Before entering federal politics, Lajim was prominent in Sabah state politics. He was a member of the United Sabah Party (PBS) before defecting to UMNO in 1994. He later served as Deputy Chief Minister in the Sabah government.