Anwar tegaskan tiada tindakan terhadap pelajar kritik PM, kerajaan

Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, has stated that there will be no action taken against a student who criticizes him or the government, emphasizing that criticism is not a crime. He further explained that the aim of education is to foster critical thinking, stressing the importance of standing up for one's principles. Anwar noted that both students and leaders make mistakes.

"I urge young people to have the courage to stand up for the truth, oppose falsehood, resist oppression, and occasionally compromise with injustice, he said when addressing the summit of future global leaders at the World Trade Centre (WTC). This is the mandate for the current generation, to stand firm on principles, advocate for justice, and drive change to build a country with integrity and pride.

He concluded that the next generation of Malaysians should emerge as principled, trustworthy, and courageous leaders, ready to shoulder the responsibility of steering Malaysia towards a better future. The universities have been banned from holding any activities, he said in his address to an international gathering of future leaders, days after announcing in the Dewan Rakyat that proceedings related to the freedom of speech, expression of views, public criticism, and peaceful assemblies of the public universities will be suspended forthwith.

He also mentioned that the Ministry of Higher Education is in the process of drafting a comprehensive bill to replace the Universities and University Colleges Act (Auku) 1971. Assurance of this freedom of speech follows several weeks after activist student Wong Yan Ke faced a fine and RM10,000 penalty for criticizing the Deputy Chancellor of the University of Malaya and several others during a convocation ceremony in 2019.

Wong was charged in 2023 for the same offense after he criticized Deputy Chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim and others after leading a protest with a placard in front of the stage to urge Abdul Rahim to relinquish his position. In July, Anwar reiterated that universities should be allowed greater freedom of speech to criticize institutions, emphasizing that universities should serve as a platform for the exchange of new ideas and critical thinking.