Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) president Tang Yi Ze said Adam’s appointment should serve as a catalyst for genuine reform in the higher education sector, not a departure from the principles for which he previously fought.

He said Adam had consistently opposed the Universities and University Colleges Act (Auku) 1971 during his years as an activist, and advocated a more democratic higher education system.

Tang also noted that Adam himself had faced repression under the Act, saying this should give him a clear understanding of the law’s “draconian effects”.

“In his current position, Adam must take firm steps to abolish Auku,” he said.

Adam was moved to the higher education ministry from his post as deputy youth and sports minister in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s latest Cabinet reshuffle, announced yesterday.

In 2011, he was hauled up under Auku for lowering a flag bearing the face of former prime minister Najib Razak at Putra World Trade Centre and replacing it with one that carried a slogan calling for academic freedom.

In his statement, Tang also called for the abolition of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation loan system and the introduction of free higher education, arguing that access to university should not be determined by a student’s economic background.

He said education was a fundamental right, and that rising tuition fees and student loans denied underprivileged families access to higher education.

“Higher education has increasingly become a basic necessity for the majority of young people.

“The implementation of free higher education is a key reform to ensure educational justice, expand social mobility and secure the country’s long-term development,” he said.