SHAH ALAM, Aug 15 - The proposed repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) 1971 is a significant sign of the government’s commitment to the reform agenda and a gift to the student movement that has fought for it for many years.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said the decision also recognises the students who have long been courageous in voicing their calls for the Act to be repealed.
“At this moment, I do not think about who won or who gets the credit. I only remember the faces of those who once stood together.
“Those who were once afraid but still came forward. Those who were once punished but continued to speak up. Thank you, Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim),” he was quoted as saying by the media today.
Earlier, when delivering his presidential policy speech at the 2026 Keadilan National Congress, Anwar announced that the government would repeal AUKU to provide greater freedom and wider democratic space for the student movement in the country.
He said the proposal would be presented to the Cabinet next Wednesday.
Anwar said the decision was made following memoranda and feedback from student leaders calling for comprehensive changes to the Act.
