Adam Adli We Re Down But Now S Not The Time To Give Up

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INTERVIEW | Less than a year ago, the multi-racial PKR with social justice and a reform agenda at its core, welcomed 20 activists into the party.
Out of these fresh faces, one had undergone a meteoric rise within a short span of time and has now been elected as the PKR Youth chief - a feat that no one could have foreseen.
Such an achievement in Malaysian politics can only be traced back to 1982 when a young Anwar Ibrahim also rapidly rose up the Umno hierarchy and clinched the same post under similar circumstances.
Activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim (above) was able to secure victory with a lead of 1,762 votes, notably without him being aligned to any party faction.
In a previous interview with Malaysiakini, the soon-to-be 33-year-old deemed PKR to have been the ”natural choice”.
While he is new to the party, Adam is certainly no newcomer to the reform ideals of his party. He is best known for his years as a student activist, which led to him being arrested several times, and he was eventually charged with sedition.
In an exclusive interview, this news portal spoke to Adam shortly after his victory in the party polls.
With the landmark win, he appears to have a good head on his shoulders and is seemingly ready to get to work ahead of the forthcoming 15th general election.
Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah AnwarAs the PKR Youth chief, Adam looks to have his work cut out for him, as party colleagues such as Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar have voiced that Pakatan Harapan should expect to lose another two general elections before having a chance at winning.
In an interview with Sinar Harian, Nurul Izzah said it would take time to craft a new "product" for the public, especially those who are unhappy with Harapan's short stint in Putrajaya.
Her statement - which courted flak - followed the disappointing outcome of the past three state elections in Malacca, Sarawak and Johor over the last year - as well as previous by-election losses in Peninsular Malaysia.
Asked about this, Adam said that it is healthy to have a “reality check”.
“That will be the expectation for GE15, but only if we keep running politics like today… I don't see it as an excuse for any of us to not work hard, to not work to win.
“It's good to have some kind of humility - not to be all that confident (and) entering GE15, knowing that we have a mountain of challenges ahead of us. That's good but (it) should not demotivate us,” he said.
He added that even if the party and the Harapan coalition at large see losses in the next general election, the steps that need to be taken following that outcome remain clear.
“Even if we lose, we know that the only way forward is to work harder. That's it - meaning we've prepared ourselves - so, I think that's how I look at it.
“Of course, some people see (it) in different ways, different colours… but let's listen to one another in a much more positive light. Let's take it as a challenge with the forecast that it's going to be very difficult for us to win in this GE15.
“If we are still able to win in GE15, we deserve it. We worked harder than before - meaning that we've worked (so) hard that we actually beat the odds,” Adam said.
Contesting, or not
Asked if he would contest in the forthcoming GE15, Adam said that the world of politics - as opposed to his activism background - was a new one to him.
"I'm not sure. Sorry about this. I'm very new at this, I'm not even sure how it works…
"Am I going to? One day, somebody would knock (on my door and ask) ‘Are you going to contest?’ I'm not sure about it.
"I think that will be discussed by the party. I leave it to the party - I have never really demanded anything," he added.
Adam said that he remains fixated on his new responsibility as the PKR Youth chief, ensuring that the party can offer its best performance in GE15.
Adam Adli’s challenger Fahmi Zainol"To me, I have a responsibility to ensure that… because my next challenge will be GE15, and I'm not entering GE15 just as Adam Adli.
"I’m entering GE15 as the PKR Youth chief, and I need to make sure that we can offer the best performance in GE15.
"That will be a great challenge because both of us, both me and Fahmi (Zainol), entered the party election, promising that we will both be a force that can help the party during GE15. I have to be very focused on that.
“Contesting or not, I leave it to the party.”
While he said that the thought of contesting had not crossed his mind, Adam suggested he would be open to the idea of contesting a seat in his home state of Penang.
"Hometown, Penang, why not? I’m a nomad… I move around so much but yeah, I don’t mind actually," he added.
Adam was born in Penang on July 3, 1989, but spent much of his life in Bangsar - close to the hotbed of Reformasi politics.
"I grew up in Bangsar Utama, specifically the KTMB Flat.
"I was born in Penang. I moved back to Penang right after SPM in 2006," he told Malaysiakini.
Following his family’s move to his home state in 2006, Adam studied at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
The university, however, didn’t take too kindly to his service as a student activist and suspended him in 2013.
Adam would go on to work for NGOs until 2018 when the suspension was lifted and thus he returned to his studies. He completed his degree in 2020 at the age of 31.
Remaining united
The recent party election saw former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli making a big sweep in his return to politics - with three out of four appointed vice-presidents being in his camp, as well as Rodziah Ismail, who made it as the PKR Women’s chief.
Former Pandan MP Rafizi RamliNotably, however, Adam and PKR Women’s deputy chief Juwairiya Zulkifli are not aligned with Rafizi’s camp.
Despite this, Adam had dismissed concerns about the possibility of faction wars and promised to keep the Youth wing united.
He acknowledged that it will be an uphill battle to curb factionalism and ensure the youth wing’s unity.
“I'm not going to be someone who keeps promoting factionalism in the party, or at least in the youth wing.
“You cannot simply convince people by just saying that. You have to prove it. I think there's no way to say it but I'm just going to make sure that I don't give up on anyone,” said Adam.
He noted that the difference between PKR and other political parties was that its members had no qualms of airing internal grievances - even if it came at the risk of voter apathy contributed by the perceived party disunity.
“It's something that I think is part of the party's culture, actually. Having different opinions is fine. You can quarrel about it. You can have a heated debate on it.
"But when it comes to the struggle of the party, everyone will become one again. We've seen this in GE13, in GE14, and even in the Johor election," he added.
Adam expressed his belief that at the heart of it, PKR needed to have a common cause to remain united.
"It (disagreements among party members) happens everywhere, except that PKR is very open about it.
"Everybody can basically know what's happening inside the party. We've never tried to hide it. Sometimes people would say it's too open," he commented with a laugh.
He argued that PKR's open attitude facilitates a culture where people can invest time to evaluate what kind of leadership is being offered by the party.
"It's the responsibility of the party leaders to be able to present a better narrative so that we don't cause something that is not beneficial for the people at the end of the day," Adam said. - Mkini

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