KUALA LUMPUR – Amendments to the controversial Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku) should be supported by both sides of the political divide as it will eventually lead to the abolishment of the act, said Universiti Malaya’s Angkatan Mahasiswa (Amum).
In a statement, today, Amum said despite its earlier call on February 27 for Auku to be “killed off”, the then-higher education minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had tabled the proposed amendments for the act that contained a potential limitation on student autonomy on November 27.
The tabling of the proposed amendments, Amum pointed out, was not in line with the group’s call.
“Angkatan Mahasiswa has firmly believed that Auku should be completely abolished by the Higher Education Ministry.
“However, Angkatan Mahasiswa also supports the decision to amend some of the clauses found in Auku. “
The amendments, Amum said, are an early path towards the total abolition of Auku, which will be realised in the end.
“Therefore, Angkatan Mahasiswa would like to take the opportunity to call on both the government bloc and the opposition bloc to support this amendment as well as other amendments that will come in stages until Auku is completely abolished in order to safeguard the interests of students.
“Angkatan Mahasiswa will always be committed to fighting for the agenda of “killing Auku” who is the number one enemy of university students since its passing in 1971 through a realistic and holistic approach,” it added.
Khaled had reportedly said that Auku is set for another amendment, which will be tabled during the next parliamentary session.
The amendment, he had said, was to ensure continuous freedom for students and lessen the restrictions imposed on them. – December 15, 2023