Students’ group wants ‘clear timeline’ for abolition of Auku

 Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia urges the government to table motion at the next meeting of the Dewan Rakyat.

Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia said the move to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 should not be carried out half-heartedly.

PETALING JAYA:

A students’ group has welcomed the government’s announcement that the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku) will be abolished, but cautioned that the process should not be carried out half-heartedly.

Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia (Haram) called for a “clear timeline” for the abolition of the Act, saying the government should table a motion on the matter at the next meeting of the Dewan Rakyat.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Auku will be abolished in full and will not be replaced by any legislation that imposes restrictions on the freedom of students.

Anwar said this is crucial to safeguard students’ freedom and ensure their ideals and activities on campus are not restricted by laws that specifically target them.

“Auku must be abolished completely,” he said in his winding-up speech at the PKR congress in Melaka.

In a statement, Haram also called for greater independence in the appointment of university vice-chancellors, increased financial transparency, and an independent tribunal to hear disciplinary appeals involving students.

It urged the government to review other laws governing higher education institutions, saying the abolition of Auku alone would not achieve greater academic freedom if similar restrictions remained elsewhere. - FMT