'I don't like the attention': Viral UM student Ummi says no plans to join politics

“I said I will not join politics. For now.” This was the response given by Universiti Malaya (UM) student Ummi Umairah Bakhit to netizens who claimed that her viral question to a dialogue panel recently was merely a stepping stone to joining a political party, particularly Pakatan Harapan.

On KiniTV’s recent “Explain Sikit” podcast, hosted by Malaysiakini senior editor Yiswaree Palansamy, Ummi said she plans to pursue a corporate career in public policy after completing her economics degree.

"My plan after this is to join the corporate (sector). Public policy. I don't like the attention I am getting now," she stressed.

Also present in the podcast was Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) student activist Brendon Gan.

READ MORE: UM student claims threatened, harassed after Najib fundraiser criticism goes viral

During the International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFuture 2026) forum, which was attended by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi and his Selangor counterpart Amirudin Shari, Ummi questioned the donation drive to help former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak pay his RM50 million fine, describing the act as “stupidest”.

Despite courting backlash over the remarks, Ummi has stood her ground, stating that she would not retract or apologise.

Ummi said it is normal for many to expect outspoken UM students like her, to enter politics.

"I feel as a student who came from UM, maybe people expect that I will join politics.

"A lot of people tell me that I must (take a) shortcut into politics. No. I still have reason to think that I need to have dozens of experiences before I step into politics," she said.

Asked out of curiosity

Ummi stressed that she never intended to go viral when she posed her question to the politicians on stage.

"I asked because I have critical thinking.

"I asked because I studied economics, and in economics we discuss things like this. So, I think it was a simple question," she said.

She also said the question had been planned before the forum.

"Wherever I go to a forum, I will do thorough research about the background of the panel and the topic of the forum. So, I had no intention to attack any political figure," she added.

Ummi added that although Khairy, a former Rembau MP, is one of her idols, she found his answer to her question unsatisfactory.

"I agree with the netizens. It doesn’t answer. It doesn’t answer at all. It only answers the surface stances.

“I think he only gave a safe answer,” Ummi said, adding that she was also dissatisfied with Onn Hafiz’s reply, which dwelt on political prosecution instead of the question on corruption.

"I asked about the rationality of the person who contributed to Najib. I didn’t ask about the cases that happened to Najib," she said.

Asked about the backlash against her, Ummi had one pointed reply: “When I say stupidest act, they say stupid. That’s a sign that our literacy is still lacking, because they don’t understand the context.”

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UUCA

The podcast then touched on government’s plan to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

This follows Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on Aug 15 that the government would abolish the Act to give students more freedom.

On Oct 8, Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir said the government is drafting a new higher education legal framework following the plan to repeal UUCA, dubbed "One Higher Education Act", which would include provisions to standardise university rules.

This, he added, would help standardise disciplinary rules across public universities, ending inconsistencies that can see students’ rights treated differently from one campus to another.

However, Ummi and Gan seemed to be sceptical over the announcement.

“Where is the abolition of UUCA? We are still limited, our opinion is limited, our freedom is limited,” Ummi lamented, adding that Anwar had himself expressed opposition to allowing university students to choose their university leaders.

On Aug 26, the New Straits Times reported Anwar as saying that he did not support giving students a role in appointing deans, vice-chancellors or other senior university leaders.

He reportedly said such appointments remained the government’s responsibility, as the positions carried responsibilities that required broader considerations.

Meanwhile, Gan said the announcement reminded him of then-education minister Maszlee Malik’s promise to abolish the UUCA in 2018, stressing that grand announcement alone do not amount to meaningful change.

“Some of the regressive provisions in Section 15 were removed, but it was not entirely abolished. After the Sheraton Move, the progress to repeal UUCA was halted entirely.

“So, when the prime minister announced that UUCA will be repealed, my first thought was that it could be a political scene or merely a cosmetic tool to attract more votes and attract more support from the youth and students,” Gan said.

He also questioned why the announcement came now, almost four years after the government took power in the 15th general election in 2022.

‘Not 10/10 for Adam Adli’

During the podcast, both guests were also asked to rate the performance of Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim on a scale of one to 10.

Ummi said while she has some reservations on Adam's overall performance, she still sees his efforts, including his courage in raising student issues in Parliament.

“I give him six out of 10. I don’t think that made his performance good because he backed me.

“The public likes to link him with his old narrative. I think Adam still has progress, but not 10 out of 10,” she added.

Adam was among the few who defended Ummi after the latter faced harassment and threats on social media after the forum.

Adam, who is Hang Tuah Jaya MP, was himself once suspended for five years from his studies by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), after being charged with sedition in 2013.

The charge was framed under the Sedition Act for his speech during a forum on May 13, where he urged the public to protest electoral fraud by taking to the streets.

Elaborating on Adam’s performance, Ummi cited the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) debt write-off for B40 students who meet certain criteria as a sign of progress.

Meanwhile, Gan gave Adam seven marks based on his experience working with the latter.

“I would give a solid seven out of 10. After he became a deputy minister, the first thing he did was call the student fronts for a meeting.

“Reform IPT was among the student organisations and NGOs invited to a session where we discussed procurement issues and tendering processes,” Gan added.

Commenting on the meeting with Adam, Gan said the proposals discussed included an Independent Expert Monitor (IEM) framework.

Gan also recalled another encounter with Adam, who came down in person to receive the memorandum at the Abolish UUCA protest, even as students held up red cards at him in disapproval.

“It wasn’t the minister himself. He (Adam) was the one who came down to receive the memorandum and speak to all of us.

“When I was investigated under Section 506 (of the Penal Code) and (Section) 233 (of the Communications and Multimedia Act), he texted and double-confirmed whether I got any sort of action from the university,” Gan added.

READ MORE: Police probe student activist over university corruption claims

He also saw Adam as an ally who is constrained by the hierarchy, adding the way to earn a higher mark is to push issues in Parliament despite those constraints.

“His power does not supersede the minister’s, regardless of how much he wants to abolish the UUCA like all of us do.

“If today he wants to abolish it and the head says no, it means no. He is still stuck there.

“To go from seven to 10, he needs to prove his point of view in Parliament,” Gan added.

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