NEWLY appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Adam Adli, has been urged to act decisively on his longstanding pledge to eliminate the debt owed to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), a move that would resonate strongly with students and education activists nationwide.
Congratulating him on his cabinet appointment, Johor State Assembly Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi described Adam as particularly suited to the role, noting his vocal history on student loan reform.
“Now you can abolish PTPTN debt. Please speak loudly in post-cabinet meetings of the Ministry of Higher Education to erase PTPTN debt. Only then will it be worth sleeping in a tent at Dataran Merdeka,” Puad Zarkashi wrote in a Facebook post.
He added, referencing former opposition leader Rafizi Ramli, “That’s what Rafizi called ‘Reviving the Idealism of Reform through Testing of Power.’ Opposition is easy, but when in power, you realise how high and low the sky is. Surely, you won’t sleep again at Dataran Merdeka.”
Adam’s cabinet portfolio shifted on Tuesday from Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports to Deputy Minister of Higher Education in the latest reshuffle of the federal government.
During his student activism in 2010, Adam was a prominent advocate for free education in Malaysia, campaigning vigorously for the abolition of PTPTN loans. Observers suggest that his appointment places him in a position to translate his activism into policy, a challenge now underscored by public and political expectation. - December 17, 2025
