ADAM Adli Abd Halim has had a meteoric rise in his political career, from being elected as PKR youth chief, to becoming a lawmaker and then being appointed deputy youth and sports minister in a very short span of time.

Acknowledging his quick leap, the 34-year-old said there were also struggles throughout his journey.

“I think from the point of view of others, it’s quite fast if you just look only at that one year.

“But if we could go back a little further, I was also involved in other social and political activities before.

“That probably gives me a considerable amount of experience to carry out my duties and responsibilities, as well as the trust given to me,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

As a student Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Adam was charged with sedition in relation to a post-election speech made at a forum in 2013.

In 2014, the Session’s Court found him guilty and sentenced him to a year in jail. He appealed and the conviction was overturned.

In 2021, Adam joined PKR and in the following year, he was elected youth chief at the party’s leadership elections.

In the recent general election, he contested in Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary constituency and won with a majority of more than 8,000 votes.

The father of two was then appointed deputy youth and sports minister under the Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government.

Despite his quick ascent in the political sphere, Adam said that he does not want to lose his focus.

“I’ll not deny that it is quite a drastic rise (political career) but I have to be careful not to stumble.

“There have been hiccups. Not everything is smooth but I’m more careful and better equipped now,” he said.

Adam said being part of the government now, he has to handle matters more professionally.

“There are ways to handle issues, unlike how we handled them before.

“We have to be creative to find an approach that suits our responsibilities as part of the government,” he said.

The PKR youth chief, however, accepted the fact that there will be criticisms regardless of how he handles any issue.  

He, however, was open to it.

“We can always respond to issues but there will be criticisms as we are part of the government now,” he said.

Adam said he has had to be a quick learner to be able to adapt to the swift changes taking place in his life.

“In order to adapt, we have to learn quickly and keep asking people questions, whether you like it or not.

“I can’t be the reserved type and we must be ready to accept knowledge from experienced people. That is key.

“I came here to learn as a member of parliament and now as a deputy minister. So to adapt, we must be ready to absorb as much information as possible,” he said. – February 2, 2023.