Meet Ariff Zaky, the Youth Who Has Been Diligently Doing Business Since Age 11

There is no need for excuses to keep moving forward in life despite the many obstacles. This is the mindset we should hold to keep growing and moving forward, setting aside excuse after excuse to achieve what we dream of.

In today's article, orangperak.com wants to share the story and life journey of a Perak youth who is determined to champion the plight of youth through the Perak Youth State Assembly platform and several NGO channels. The individual in question is Muhammad Ariff Zaky Bin Mohd Zolkafly. For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, Ariff Zaky Zolkafly, or simply Ariff Zaky to his acquaintances, hails from Sungai Siput, Perak. He was born on June 8, 1991, and is the fourth child, as well as the youngest, of Hajah Fadziah Binti Shariff and Dato Haji Mohd Zolkafly.

He received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Methodist Sungai Siput Utara. While in the third grade, he passed the Level One Examination (PTS) with flying colors and successfully skipped straight to the fifth grade. As you are all aware, the Level One Examination (PTS) no longer exists and was abolished after 2000.

When this remarkable youth reached the age of 11, he began showing an interest in business. At the same time, his parents divorced. This somewhat disrupted the emotions of an 11-year-old child trying to pursue dreams and live a teenage life in a perfect family. Even though Ariff Zaky is the son of a Dato who is also the elected representative for Lintang, he was rarely pampered by his father, forcing him to navigate the twists and turns of life to gain experience just like anyone else.

His life is the same as any ordinary person from an imperfect family. However, this is not an excuse for him to stop proving that he can succeed just like those from perfect families. Deep in his heart, he hopes that youth who share his fate will not use it as an excuse to rebel and blame their parents and family as the root cause of their own failures.

Ariff Zaky always holds onto the advice of his father, Dato Haji Mohd Zolkafly, which is to always consider that there is a hidden wisdom in everything that happens and to remember that there are people out there with worse fates than ours. Although Ariff Zaky's parents have separated, Dato Haji Mohd Zolkafly has never neglected his responsibilities toward his children. This is an exemplary model that should be followed by paying attention to children even after a divorce.

“He is a Dato’s son, what is there to be surprised about,” is a phrase that has been heard without prejudice by the person named Ariff Zaky since he was small until today. For your information, in reality, he has largely moved on his own with friends and acquaintances to start his businesses. After passing his Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) with flying colors, he did not wait long and immediately tried his hand at small-scale business. It is still etched in his memory that even though he was only 11 years old at the time, his first business was selling kacang putih at a motocross championship held in Sungai Siput.

At one point, he even employed his own classmates. His first step into the business world did not go well and he suffered losses. However, this is the reality for those just starting out in business, and this was the origin of his first learning process to gain experience in the ins and outs of business.

As a teenager, Ariff Zaky continued his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Methodist Sungai Siput Utara (Forms 1 to 3) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Raja Permaisuri Bainun (Forms 4 to 5).

After completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Ariff Zaky started selling burgers to gain experience and earn side income while waiting for university admission. The burger business was quite successful, earning RM3,000 a month, and those profits were saved for the future. After finishing secondary school, Ariff Zaky received an offer to pursue a foundation in mechanical engineering with a full scholarship sponsored by MARA. He then continued to a Degree in Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Oil and Gas Upstream Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).

At the age of 17, he stepped into the university world and focused on his studies. At Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), he was active as an exco member of the UTP Student Representative Council and President of the Mechanical Engineering Club (Meche Club). He gained experience in executing various events from the university level to the international level. Today, at 27, Ariff Zaky owns several private limited companies, some of which are housing companies that started on a small scale. Now, Ariff Zaky has begun to actively champion the plight of youth who still do not have the opportunity to own their first home.

For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, Ariff is a member of the Perak Youth State Assembly and a member of the Malaysian Youth Parliament. In his motion at the first session, he proposed that the Perak state government, together with the private sector, sell houses at a price below RM100,000.

This brilliant proposal from Ariff Zaky received attention and steps were taken by the State government. In 2016, the Perak Housing and Property Board (LPHP) was introduced, where houses were sold from RM70,000 (government-subsidized) up to RM140,000.

In the context of telling the life story of Ariff Zaky Zolkafly, it is worth emulating for all loyal readers of orangperak.com that all problems from various factors should not be used as an excuse to stop succeeding, even if you are swept away by negative emotions. For the election of the 2nd Perak Youth State Assembly in 2018, Ariff Zaky is once again nominated and will compete in the online vote from October 16, 2017, to October 29, 2017. Ariff Zaky's Social Media:

• Facebook : ariff zaky
• Facebook page: Ariff Zaky Zolkafly
• Instagram : ariffzaky

Loyal readers of orangperak.com who meet the criteria below can register at

www.mp2mpa.com

as a voter and give your support to Muhammad Ariff Zaky Bin Mohd Zolkafly to continue the youth struggle in bringing motions that will benefit us as youth. Criteria as a Perak Youth State Assembly voter:

• Aged between 15 and 40 years old.
• Malaysian citizen.
• Born in Perak or..
• Born in another state but with an identity card address in Perak.

Hopefully, the information regarding Muhammad Ariff Zaky Bin Mohd Zolkafly can be an encouragement and example for youth out there. His persistence in life is worthy of being an example for us all. May he be elected once again to the upcoming Perak Youth State Assembly.