Govt to repeal Auku, says Anwar

On April 1st, a student group named Sekretariat Mansuh Auku initiated a nationwide push for the repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, known as Auku. This act affects both private and public universities across the nation. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has now announced that the government will repeal the Auku.

Despite earlier amendments to the act, students remain unsatisfied with certain provisions, according to Anwar. In his keynote address at the 2026 PKR Congress at the Melaka International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh, Anwar stated that while the act has been modified to grant student associations more freedom in fundraising and other activities, some students are still dissatisfied and have submitted a memorandum.

The last amendment to the Auku was made in 2025, which enhanced student associations' autonomy over fundraising and other activities. However, the higher education ministry had previously stated that it had no plans to completely abolish the law. This led to the ministry's stance being challenged by 40 students representing over 30 student groups who marched to Parliament on February 9th to demand the full repeal of the act.

The DAP's youth wing further called for the revival of the 2019 committee that was supposed to abolish the Auku, arguing that merely reviewing the act is not sufficient. The nationwide campaign by Sekretariat Mansuh Auku targets prominent universities such as Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.