KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — PKR Youth today backed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA), but said the move should pave the way for wider reforms to strengthen university autonomy, academic freedom and student rights.
The party’s youth wing also urged students to continue speaking up and acting as a check and balance on the government, despite being part of Anwar’s own party.
“To Malaysian students, do not stop speaking up. Do not stop thinking. Do not stop being a check and balance on the country,” PKR Youth chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim said in a statement today.
Kamil said the repeal should open the way for stronger university autonomy, academic freedom, freedom of association and freedom of expression, as well as greater space for students to determine the direction of their own movements.
He said university freedom should not be interpreted as freedom without responsibility, but should allow campuses to manage differences through knowledge, argument and dialogue.
Kamil said universities should produce graduates who were willing to question established norms, challenge conventional thinking and defend what they believed was right responsibly.
PKR Youth described Anwar’s announcement as an important milestone in the decades-long struggle by Malaysian students for freer and more democratic campuses.
Kamil said the government’s decision recognised that students should not be shaped by a culture of fear and excessive control, but trusted to think, debate, disagree, criticise and offer solutions for the country.
He said students and young Malaysians should view the development as proof that reform required political courage, patience and sustained support to turn announcements into meaningful change.
Kamil also called on the Madani government to continue pursuing institutional reforms, saying students should remain among the key forces monitoring, pressing for and helping to implement those changes.
The call for students to remain a check and balance is notable as PKR Youth is part of Anwar’s own party, even as it backs his decision to repeal UUCA.
Kamil said reform did not end with a single announcement or the repeal of one law, with further changes still needed in higher education and other institutions.
He urged Malaysian students to continue voicing their views, thinking critically and holding the country’s institutions to account.
Anwar announced the repeal of UUCA at the 2026 PKR National Congress in Ayer Keroh today, saying previous amendments had given students greater freedom but had not addressed all their concerns.
UUCA, introduced in 1971, has been amended seven times, including changes in 2012 that allowed students to participate in political party activities outside campus.
The latest amendments in 2024 included changes to student disciplinary procedures, with such matters at public universities shifted from the vice-chancellor to Student Disciplinary Committees, as well as expanded powers for student representative councils and student bodies to collect funds and receive contributions subject to prevailing laws and regulations.
