The Malaysian government committed to abolishing the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU), with a repeal bill expected to be introduced and passed in Parliament in 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The government aims to separate university administration and governance from student restrictions, focusing the new law on management powers without limiting student freedoms [1, 2, 3, 5].
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the repeal will grant students more space to voice opinions and participate without excessive controls, trusting them as mature adults capable of self-discipline. "Do not interfere with students. Am I confident that students will not make mistakes? I believe so... we will table the law this year and pass it in Parliament," he said [1]. He also described a "culture of fear" in universities, where "students are afraid of lecturers, lecturers afraid of deans, deans afraid of rectors, rectors afraid of ministers, ministers afraid of the prime minister, and the prime minister is afraid of students," calling the situation unhealthy [4].
The current AUKU, enacted in 1971, contains 44 sections, with only seven directly related to students [6]. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir emphasized that abolishing AUKU requires a comprehensive review of the entire higher education legal framework, not just student issues. He said, "[AUKU] covers wide governance, academic, and administrative aspects, so the government must thoroughly review laws to create a suitable replacement" [6].
Student leaders welcome the planned repeal but stress the importance of involving students in drafting the new law. Universiti Malaya student representative Syam Eddy Ahmad said, "I support the repeal. But there must be a framework to replace AUKU, and the new Act must be more student-friendly. Students themselves must be involved in drafting it, together with academics and universities" [7]. Some student representatives believe parts of AUKU remain relevant and should be updated rather than completely discarded [7]. However, government officials advocate for full abolition instead of partial amendment [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The issue was discussed at a Cabinet meeting on August 19, where Prime Minister Anwar raised the need to abolish AUKU and revise university governance provisions [1, 2, 3, 5]. The following day, the prime minister publicly reaffirmed the commitment to repeal and table new legislation. The Higher Education Minister also reiterated the need for a full legal review on August 20 [6].
The government plans to bring the repeal bill to Parliament before the end of 2026 to dismantle restrictive student legislation and reform university governance.
