MELAKA, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) 1971 is a major sign of the government's commitment to reform and a long-awaited gift to the student movement that has fought for it all these years, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim.
He said the decision also serves as recognition of the students who have long dared to voice their demands for the Act's repeal.
"At this moment, I do not think about who won or who gets the credit. I just remember the faces of those who stood with us.
"Those who were afraid, but still showed up. Those who were punished, but still spoke out. Thank you, Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)," he said in a statement today.
Earlier today, in his policy speech at the PKR National Congress 2026, Anwar announced that the government would repeal AUKU to grant greater freedom and democratic space to the student movement in Malaysia.
The Prime Minister said the decision followed memoranda and views submitted by student leaders who had called for comprehensive changes to the Act.
He said that while previous amendments to AUKU had given students room to be active, that freedom must be expanded in line with the country's education reform agenda.
-- BERNAMA