Tak perlu ganti seluruh Auku, cukup tukar nama, kata penasihat undang-undang

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim recently announced the repeal of the University and Colleges Education Commission 1971 (Auku) and assured that it would not be replaced by a new law heavy on students. Kuala Lumpur: When the government plans to fully repeal the University and Colleges Education Commission 1971 (Auku), a law professor suggests renaming it as the University Education Act (AU) instead.

Khairul Anuar Che Azmi, a Law Advisor at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), stated that the term "Kolej Universiti" in the name Auku is no longer relevant with the current higher education landscape. “If a suitable name is needed now, I think it should be AU, the University Education Act. Kolej Universiti does not exist anymore, so its name should be AU,” he said.

However, Khairul said any renaming would need a proper amendment process, including research from the Attorney General’s Chambers and Parliament. He said this when he was a member of the Convention on Malay Education Culture and National Higher Education Policy session at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTC KL) today. Khairul said renaming would not necessarily mean that the entire Auku needs to be replaced.

Instead, research could be focused on specific needs that truly require changes, particularly those related to students. “If there are seven things that need to be changed, why do we want to replace everything?” he asked. However, he said if the government wants to merge Auku with another law under a new legislative framework, time for amendments should be given to ensure the resulting law is more comprehensive.

“But if the desire is to consolidate other laws, we ask for a reasonable time to produce a more comprehensive act,” he said. Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim announced the repeal of Auku 1971 on August 16 and assured it would not be replaced by a new law heavy on students. It is expected to be replaced by a new framework known as the One Higher Education Act.