Why is pressure mounting on Adam Adli to abolish PTPTN?
'Our demand is clear: education must be free, and PTPTN debt should no longer be placed on the shoulders of students'
NURSYAHMINA ZAINAL
SHAH ALAM - The newly appointed Higher Education Deputy Minister Adam Adli is urged to fulfil his long-standing advocacy for free education and the abolishment of National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) debt.
The appointment caused many Malaysians to mention Adam’s history as a student activist, when he was among the most vocal critics of PTPTN and education-related debt.
During a rally held on April 14, 2012, Adam had openly demanded sweeping reforms to the student loan system and higher education policies.
“Our demand is clear: education must be free, and PTPTN debt should no longer be placed on the shoulders of students,” he said at the rally.
“It is unfair when we see students who owe perhaps RM20,000 or RM30,000 being pursued everywhere, blacklisted, stopped at airports, and barred from leaving the country, among other consequences.
“Meanwhile, wealthy cronies who owe as much as 589 million live comfortably and even have their debts written off.
“This is the injustice that we see, and it is one that causes suffering for students themselves,” he added.
Many believe that these “sweet promises” from his activist days have yet to materialise into tangible results.
Following Adam’s latest appointment, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi urged Adam to turn his past activism into policy action.
“Go ahead and abolish PTPTN debt. Please speak out loudly to abolish PTPTN debt in the post-Cabinet meeting of the Ministry of Higher Education.
“Only then will it seem worthwhile to have slept in tents at Dataran Merdeka,” said Puad in a Facebook post.
The Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) also echoed similar sentiments, reminding Adam of the reforms he once fought for as an activist.
“We urge Adam not to forget the demands he once advocated, including the abolition of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) and the implementation of free education as fundamental reforms,” the group said in a statement on Thursday.
As Adam transitions from his previous role as Youth and Sports Deputy Minister into the higher education ministry, expectations remain high among activists and students who once stood alongside him in calling for structural changes to Malaysia’s education system.
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