PUTRAJAYA, Jun 6 — Public universities have been ordered to no longer suppress intellectual programmes or forums on campus, so as to make Malaysia’s academic field more open.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik said with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) victory in the last general election, there should be no stifling of intellectual discourse in the country.

"I urge the vice-chancellors and their deputies, especially those handling student affairs to not cancel or otherwise disrupt any such programmes that are organised by the students themselves or who were invited by them,” he said following the ministry’s buka puasa event at SMK Putrajaya Presint 11(1) here.

Maszlee reminded the universities’ administrators that one of the reasons PH was elected is also for academic freedom.

"We should differentiate ourselves from the old regime, where student-organised programmes and forums would abruptly be cancelled with no given explanation, as has happened to me on a number of occasions.

"This order is effective from today, and I hope it will lead to a flowering of intellectual idea exchange, discourses and new views being considered,” he said.