PROMINENT activist and latest PKR member Adam Adli Abdul Halim has revealed a list of issues he will tackle if he is elected as a people’s representative.

The former student activist, who has had numerous brushes with the law for standing up and speaking out on issues that affect students and the man on the street, took a big step forward when he signed up with PKR last month.

And his top priority, he told The Malaysian Insight, is to champion free education for all Malaysians.

Policymakers should work towards building a system that can provide free education for all Malaysians, he said.

Adam said while there have been concerns that free education may economically impact the country, it does not mean that the agenda should be removed completely.

Adam was responding to a question as to what some of the things he will push for are should he get elected to public office in the future.

Free education at the tertiary level was part of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election manifesto during the 14th general election, which former education minister Maszlee Malik promised would come through before the next general election.

That, however, came to naught as the PH administration was ousted in the “Sheraton Move” last year.

Since then, all the initiatives by Maszlee have fallen through and not been spoken of by the new administration.

Adam said while he understands that there will be compromise, he believes the country can still work towards free education by preparing for it and setting a timeline.

“Just because we cannot predict the future does not mean we should not plan for it,” he said.

Adam said policymakers should also continue to fight for existing student issues such as abolishing the student study loan and the Universities and University Colleges Act.

The two issues were also part of PH’s election manifesto.

He said issues such as these are not isolated matters as education affects the country in every aspect.

“Education moulds our society and to fix it, we must first act on these issues,” he said.

As a student activist, Adam was frequently arrested and investigated by the authorities over his vocal views on academic freedom.

In 2014, he was sentenced to a year’s jail for sedition in relation to a speech he made at a post-election forum, where he urged people to take to the street to protest the widely contested election results.

However, in 2018, the 32-year-old was acquitted of the charge.

On a separate matter, Adam said the country needs to look at institutional reforms that affect workers, regardless of nationality, as exploitation in the workplace can happen to both Malaysians and non-Malaysians.

He said a revision of the minimum wage is also needed as most incomes have remained stagnant through the years despite an increasing cost of living.

He said as long as there is no institutional reform, the people will always struggle with bread-and-butter issues, and bribery, dishonesty and corruption will go on.

“Issues like corruption are some of the major problems affecting our country’s growth, so we need change,” he said.

Adam said politicians and those who hold political events or discussions must do more than the usual ceramah or public forums.

“They must ensure that these discussions are brought forth to the policymaking level,” he added. – October 14, 2021.