December 30, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Adam Adli Abdul Halim would have just
been another student activist until his act of bringing down a banner
bearing a picture of Datuk Seri Najib Razak during a peaceful
demonstration drew more media attention than the cause itself.
Following the incident, what started out as a small student protest
for academic freedom on December 17 has now escalated into a growing
movement of undergraduates, university lecturers and members of the
public, uniting and demanding the government repeal the controversial
Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), which strictly
prohibits political activities on campuses.
File photo of Adam Adli (centre) speaking to the press in Kuala Lumpur on December 23, 2011. — Picture by Jack Ooi
It had also put the 22-year-old student of the Sultan Idris University of Education in the public limelight, drawing both admiration and disapproval alike.
Despite his sudden catapult to fame and accelerated awareness of the
UUCA, Adam Adli remains unfazed and hopes this exposure “will be the end
of our 40 years of unfinished struggle”.
“Academic freedom will be another big cause to be fought together in
the struggle to rebuild our corrupted country... It is just as important
as other issues discussed in society,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
“Many people, including the students, have never heard of academic
freedom, UUCA, and ‘magna carta’ (a Bill drafted by students to replace
the Act) until this (incident) happened. (Now), it seems that even the
pro-government bloggers are struggling to understand our cause,” he
said.
The self-professed rebel stands by his actions and reiterates “lowering the banner was a sign of protest”.
“But another reason unnoticed was, if I didn’t lower the banner, how
on earth would I be able to raise the academic freedom’s flag?” he
asked.
“It was two birds with one stone. It was a sign of protest on (Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s) policy on students and universities
and also a sign of victory for the many hours of protest on that day.”
Adam Adli said his interest in student activism dates back to 2010
when he was banned from campus elections for participating in
Demonstrasi Air 2009, a protest against the Selangor water price hike.
“Since there, there was no turning back for me. The reason is clear:
we need to prove to the people that we, as students, are part of the
people and system. We want to represent the people,” he said.
“Students had their role in history of fighting for the people, thus
within this short time we would like to carve our own history. But first
we have to free the students and universities, then we will prove to
the people what can we do for the country,” he added.
In recent weeks, cybertroopers have rallied behind Adam Adli, with
Facebook page “We Are All Adam Adli” drawing close to 30,000 ‘likes’.
However, all is not rosy in Adam’s struggle.
In addition to criticisms from the public and numerous government
officials, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu
Bakar said the authorities are keeping a close watch on Adam and advised
him to exercise caution when going about his activities.
This prompted the feisty student to respond confidently that he does not feel threatened by such statements.
“I’m not going to give up. How can they restrict me? I don’t see why must they do so,” Adam Adli said.
“I believe, and I know, I’m not doing anything wrong … I’m just
voicing out my rights to protest over government policies and actions,”
he added.
He stressed that the uprising of youth can never be denied and “it is
about time for everyone to realise the struggle of student activists”.
“Students are not fools or tools. They see, they learn, they acquire
the knowledge, and they are ready to make our country a better place. In
no time I believe many more will come out,” he said.
“The future now belongs to the youths.”
Why should there be banners bearing the faces of 'Umno-appointed' PMs anyway?
Are they above the Agong and Malay rulers? I believe they are especially since Dr M removed the Rulers' immunity to prosecution following the constitutional crisis of 1992-93.
In Raja Petra's posting entitled 'My reminder to the Sultan of Selangor: How Umno stripped the Rulers naked', he said:
It would appear from Dr Mahathir's 1993 speech that it is perfectly legal to sue members of the royalty. It would also appear that UMNO members, particularly prime ministers, can make allegations against the country's royalty that opposition leaders and members of the press can't. We invite readers to decide for themselves. We reprint Dr Mahathir's historic 1993 speech below in its entirety.
Read the 'seditious' speech by Dr M!
It would appear from Dr Mahathir's 1993 speech that it is perfectly legal to sue members of the royalty. It would also appear that UMNO members, particularly prime ministers, can make allegations against the country's royalty that opposition leaders and members of the press can't. We invite readers to decide for themselves. We reprint Dr Mahathir's historic 1993 speech below in its entirety.
Read the 'seditious' speech by Dr M!
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