KUALA LUMPUR – PKR Youth chief Adam Adli Abdul Halim has warned of Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) “dangerous” peddling of racially-charged narratives to youths ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Stressing that the issue of identity is crucial among youths, Adam, who is also deputy youth and sports minister, said that the way Pakatan Harapan (PH) approaches the matter during the state polls could affect the number of ballots cast in its favour.
“When it comes to economic policies or job opportunities, (PN) will never answer questions on (the topics). We (PH) can always remind the people that we are here to manage the country with a clear agenda to offer better lives for everyone.
“How we address racial and religious issues while countering PN’s narrative will be about (helping youths to) establish their identity,” he said during an interview session on BFM Radio today.
Adam, who is the Hang Tuah Jaya MP, also said that more could be done by PH “to answer questions” from youths who are seeking to form their identity in Malaysia’s multiracial and plural society.
“They (PN) are doing so much to feed the minds of our young with dangerous narratives. They will say that you are a Muslim and a Malay, you cannot do this and that, other people are kafir (infidels),” he claimed.
“We have to answer them (and) say, look, you are going about this the wrong way,” he added, pointing out that efforts to correct the damage inflicted by PN have been carried out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman and PKR president.
“Most of (Anwar’s) speeches will (attempt to) explain to the Malay-Muslim community how the values of Islam are not like how the conservative PN interpreted them.”
When asked for a response to detractors who label him a “sell-out” for joining politics after having been a youth and student activist, Adam said that he has “made a choice” due to his goal of wanting to provide the people with a better future.
“When I was an activist, I didn’t want to be arrested for speaking up, nor did I want the government to take action against me when I criticised them.
“The best I can do now is be the kind of government that I wanted then, which is one that will provide a platform for its people and celebrate differences,” he said. – July 27, 2023