COMMENT | Education is a basic human right, and should be provided free of charge for everyone, from primary school all the way to the tertiary level. Who is responsible for this? It should be the government.

Many years ago, when a young rebel activist by the name of Adam Adli Abd Halim called for the abolishment of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and for education to be free during rallies, it struck a chord in a lot of the youth, including me, and people loved it. Adam became a hero to all.

Fast forward to today, the guy who used to stand outside the gates yelling angrily and being escorted away by the authorities is now inside the building and is, well, the authority, having been made the new deputy higher education minister.

So wouldn’t it be natural that Malaysians are now asking, “Boss, what about that PTPTN thing?” And honestly, why shouldn’t they? If you built your brand on...