Look, I’ve spent a lot of time on university campuses. Maybe it’s because I studied at several universities, local and international, and also have been teaching at a few too for the past 20 plus years.
In the rest of the world, universities are supposed to be these messy, loud, chaotic experimental labs. They’re where you’re supposed to have bad ideas, better ideas, and eventually, great ideas.
It’s places where young people, students, discover things and also who they are.
However, it’s a little bit different here in Malaysia. It feels a little bit restrictive and full of rules and regulations that you have to follow. You always feel like someone is watching and you need to watch what you do and what you say.
Many students have been complaining about this one particularly annoying piece of legislation called the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, or UUCA. The complaints have been coming for decades, and recently, a fresh group of student activists has been making noise again.
To understand why these kids are so fired up, you have to look at why the UUCA even exists. It was not created because someone thought: "Hey, let’s make sure our science labs have the best equipment and our athletes get the best sports facilities!"
Nope. It was born out of panic by the government. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, students were very punk rock. They were opinionated, vocal, and they actually cared about stuff happening around then.
In 1974, they marched in solidarity with poor rubber smallholders in Baling. They were becoming a real moral conscience for the country.
The government at the time saw this and instead of thinking that they were developing into compassionate future leaders, they thought they were a nuisance.
So, they passed the UUCA. It basically gave the higher education minister the power to stop students from being involved in politics, or anything that involved social issues.
It generally made sure that the only thing students felt safe protesting was the price of nasi lemak in the cafeteria.
Anwar, a former student leader
After decades, this law managed to condition generations of Malaysians to think that their only job was to study, graduate, and never, ever be critical thinkers.
Now here is something funny to think about. Many of the people running the country right now were once the very students the UUCA was designed to crush.
For example, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Back in 1974, he was the face of student activism. In fact, he was leading the charge for the poor in Baling.
And because of the UUCA, he was detained in Kamunting, Perak under the now-repealed Internal Security Act. He knows exactly how it feels to have the state tell you to sit down and shut up.
You also got guys like Rafizi Ramli who was a vocal student leader, often comparing the freedom of speech he saw overseas to how muzzled it is at home.
He spent years calling the UUCA an anti-intellectual tool that forces people to bow to authority.
The rebels have now become the administrators. And yet, the law is still there. It’s a bit of a “do as I say, not as I did” situation, and the students are rightfully calling out the hypocrisy.
Maszlee tried but failed
We really thought it was happening in 2018. When Maszlee Malik became the education minister, the vibe changed. He was an academic himself and he talked about it. It felt like we were finally going to have a “funeral” for UUCA and invite everyone for satay afterward.
Maszlee actually tried. He set up committees, he talked to students, and he had a plan to replace the UUCA with a brand-new higher education act that would actually treat students like adults. I know because I was there by his side playing the role of media adviser.
But then, politics happened and he had to resign. Shortly after, there was an entire administration change via the Sheraton Move, which I’m sure many still remember.
Instead of a “funeral” for the UUCA, we got a “makeover”.
Piecemeal solution
The government decided that instead of abolishing the Act, they would just amend it. We’ve had a few rounds of these now, most notably in 2012, 2019, and the latest tweaks in 2024.
On paper, they sound okay. Students were finally allowed to join political parties and participate in political activities outside of campus.
Student representative councils got a bit more control over their own funds and some leeway in managing student activities.
But the problem is that it was all still subject to approval. It’s basically the government saying, "Okay, you can play outside, but we’ll leash you to the gate, and the leash is made of padded leather so it’s a bit more comfortable.”
The vice-chancellor is still appointed by the minister, meaning the person running the university is basically a government employee, not an independent academic leader.
Also, the university board still has the power to shut down any event they deem “sensitive”.
If a student group wants to invite a controversial speaker to talk about human rights or economic policy, they still have to jump through hoops of bureaucracy. If the administration says no, that was it.
The big difference is that amendments give you the permission to speak, but abolition gives you the right to speak.
Why students’ right matter?
I know that there are some people who say that it does not matter. Just go to class, get your degree, and get a good job to support your family.
However, the problem is when you spend three or four of your most formative years in an environment where you are told that being politically and socially aware is dangerous, it stunts your growth.
Our graduates enter the workforce and they are great at following instructions, but they are terrified of questioning the boss. This culture of passivity and lack of critical thinking is bad for a country that needs innovation.
Also, we lowered the voting age to 18. So, we are telling 19-year-olds they are mature enough to decide who runs the country, but UUCA tells them they are not mature enough to run their own student unions without the teacher watching over them.
The students calling for the abolition of UUCA are not trying to start a revolution. They are just asking to be treated with respect. The argument that students should just focus on their studies is such a tired, old-school trope.
Learning is not just about what is in the textbook. It is about learning how to organise, disagree without punching someone, and how to care about the person living three states away who cannot afford school fees.
If we want a Malaysia that is truly progressive and “Madani”, we have to stop being afraid of our own youth.
We need to let them be messy. We need to let them make mistakes on campus so they do not make bigger ones when they are running the country later.
Our current leaders have the experience and trauma to prove why change is needed. Now, they just need the guts to do it. Just bury the UUCA. A student body that is free to think is the best insurance policy for the country’s future.
That is just my two sen. - Mkini
ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist, and academic. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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