Auku mesti dimansuh sepenuhnya, tiada akta ganti kekang mahasiswa, kata Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the University and University College Act 1971 (Auku) will be completely abolished without replacing it with a new law, to ensure genuine student rights and prevent their ideals from being stifled by special legislations, during the PKR 2026 Congress. He further emphasized that the government will not compromise on any attempt to merely modify Auku, and the act must be entirely revoked.

According to Anwar, this step is crucial to guarantee the freedom of students and safeguard their passionate and active movement on campus. "Auku must be entirely abolished. There is a concern that when Auku is repealed, new legislation will be introduced which also encumbers and restricts," he stated at a PKR Congress. Anwar, the President of PKR, also said that existing laws in the country are sufficient to handle general criminal offenses without the need for a special act that restrains students.

He added that the relevant principle has been introduced since 1974 and it is unnecessary to continue it in a new form. "I do not intend to dilute the existing law enforcement regulations, but a special legislation for students like Auku is not necessary," he said, asserting the stance during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Earlier, Anwar announced the repeal of Auku and Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir subsequently explained that a more comprehensive act to replace Auku was outlined in the Malaysia Higher Education Framework (RPTM) 2026–2035.

He believes that the process of amending the framework will be carried out inclusively by taking into account the views of university leadership, academic staff, public and private higher education institutions, industry players, polytechnics, and community colleges.