The interview with YB Sim Tze Tzin focused on student activism. YB Sim was born and raised in George Town, Penang and attended Hu Yew Seah School for his primary education, later moving on to Chung Ling High School. His interest in politics began after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the Oslo Accord, which he says contributed to his “political awakening”. In 1998, he joined the Reformasi movement initiated by Anwar Ibrahim, and founded the Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement (DEMA).

In 1999, he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). While he was there, he became the first non-Malay elected to the UTM Students’ Representative Council. He furthered his studies in the United States and later obtained a Masters of Science (Civil) in Highway Engineering from San José State University. While in the United States, he founded the Malaysia Forum Organization in Stanford University, a group promoting civil society and discussion of Malaysian issues. 

Currently, he is serving as the Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru. He is also the former political secretary to former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and the current President of PKR, Anwar Ibrahim.