No more political interference at unis once Auku is axed, says student leader

Umany's Tang Yi Ze says the government should never have empowered a minister to appoint vice-chancellors.

The Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 was amended in 1975 to give the government full control over universities. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Public universities will be free from political interference once the government abolishes the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, a student leader says.

Tang Yi Ze, president of Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth which, in 2023 called for the abolishment of the Act, said the government should never have empowered a minister to appoint vice-chancellors.

Tang said the government should have instead allowed a statutory body or independent committee to make such decisions.

He cited the models adopted in other countries like the UK and US, which give universities the freedom and power to elect their own presidents, saying Malaysia should emulate these examples.

“In France, universities allow their academics to contest and vote for their institution’s president,” he told FMT, adding that a comprehensive study should be conducted to ensure that public universities are free from political interference.

Tang was asked to comment on a claim by independent scholar Sharifah Munirah Alatas that political interference is prevalent in Malaysian universities, stifling academic freedom and autonomy.

Munirah said last week that there was a fear or lack of willingness among students to participate in dialogues on national and societal issues due to political pressure, which she called the “elephant in the room”.

She said that laws like the Universities and University Colleges Act, also known as Auku, stifled academic freedom by denying academics and students avenues to speak on sensitive societal issues.

Auku was established in April 1971 and is partially under the legislative authority of the higher education ministry. The Act aims to provide for the establishment, maintenance and administration of universities and public university colleges.

In 1975, it was amended to give the government full control over universities, particularly in the appointment of vice-chancellors who are tasked with appointing deans, deputy deans and heads of institutes, replacing democratic elections among academics.

Another student leader, Azamuddin Sahar, said that political interference in universities was not a new issue.

Azamuddin, who heads the Muslim Students Association of Malaysia, said that pressure should continue on the higher education ministry to stop interfering in the administration of universities.

“Universities belong to the students, not politicians. And students are not pawns to be controlled by those with vested political interests,” he said. - FMT