Muhammad Zaim Bin Zulkifli Ariff

Zaim Zulkifli is a student activist and political advocate serving as Vice Chairperson of the Malaysian People’s Advocacy Collective (HARAM). He co-founded HARAM with several well-known young activists to rally student and youth movements from East and West Malaysia. Through HARAM, he helped coordinate movements to spread awareness on the issue of statelessness in Sabah, organise student-led protests, actively participate in anti-corruption movements, frequently speaking out at national forums and media channels, hold political education and literacy initiatives, giving out memorandums, and rebel against government intimidations towards other student activists. He has been featured prominently in national coverage, speaks on key platforms such as the “Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah 1.0 and 2.0” rallies, and recently appeared on a podcast with Rafizi Ramli and Caprice to defend the students’ rights for freedom of assembly and expression. Under his lead coordination, Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah 1.0 managed to push the government to amend the Peaceful Amendment Act (PAA) 2012 to make it easier for the public to hold any peaceful gathering in the country.

I believe that impact is about delivering positive changes to the society no matter small or indirect they are to the livelihood of the rakyat. Impacts must be secured through means that ensure the rakyat can always be alleviated from its current status quo, whether from bad to good or decent to better. Moreover, the best of impacts is centred around educating the people about positive values, worldviews, and moral compasses, especially those that are derived by the students/educated youth of our nation.