Universiti Malaya Students’ Union president Aiman Izzat Shamsuddin said students should be treated as stakeholders in higher education rather than merely as subjects of institutional control.
PETALING JAYA:The abolition of Auku must not result in the same restrictions being reintroduced through university regulations or replacement legislation, said Universiti Malaya Students’ Union president Aiman Izzat Shamsuddin.
He added that the government must ensure the repeal brought about genuine change in how student affairs were governed, particularly in matters involving freedom of expression, political participation and student organisations.
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“What we do not want is ‘Auku without Auku’, where the Act is abolished but the same restrictions continue under a different law or through university regulations.”
Aiman said students should be treated as stakeholders in higher education rather than merely as subjects of institutional control.
He said any new legislative framework must provide clear and enforceable protections for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation, while allowing students to organise and manage their own organisations.
He also called for clearer boundaries between legitimate university governance and unnecessary interference in student affairs.
On the drafting of a replacement legislation, Aiman said students must be given a direct and meaningful role throughout the policymaking process.
“Students should be involved throughout the policymaking process, including through structured consultations with student councils, student organisations and representatives from different universities,” he said.
He added that students should also be given the opportunity to review and respond to proposed provisions before any legislation is finalised.
“There should be no new law about students without meaningful student participation in shaping it.”
Aiman said the success of the reform should ultimately be measured by the changes students experienced on campus, rather than simply by the repeal of Auku on paper.
He said genuine reform would mean that students could express their views, participate in politics, organise activities and manage their organisations without unnecessary restrictions or fear of disproportionate disciplinary action.
He also called for transparency in the legislative process and safeguards to prevent universities from introducing internal regulations that effectively recreated restrictions previously imposed under Auku.
“We support the abolition of Auku, but we want to see more than an announcement. “The promise has been made, now it must be translated into progressive legislation, meaningful implementation and genuine freedom for students.”
Meanwhile, former TAR UMT student representative council president Wong Yew Lee said the repeal must also address the rights of private university students through reforms to the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996.
He added that private university students could otherwise be left behind, calling for consistent rights across public and private institutions, including freedom of association and assembly, transparent disciplinary procedures and independent appeals.
The University Malaya Association of New Youth urged the government to establish a clear timeline for the repeal and involve students, academics and civil society in drafting a new framework.
It added that the reform must safeguard student rights, university autonomy, academic freedom and campus democracy.
