THE impact of the youth vote in contributing to Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the May 9 general election cannot be overstated. They gave a clear indication that not only did they believe in a Malaysia Baru, but also a more autonomous, dynamic, and free environment for expression in higher education institutions.
Among the motivation for them was the PH Manifesto, now the government’s guiding document, particularly Promise 27, which is to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) (Act 30).
Abolishing Act 30 will give full autonomy to university management, and empowers universities to determine the administrative, academic and research direction of the institutions — and of course, the nurturing of a more robust student environment.
AUKU, gazetted on April 30, 1971, was introduced over four decades ago, to establish, maintain and administer the country’s public universities and colleges. It also regulated student activities. Often used as a polemic, AUKU’s existence has been linked to the quality and capacity (or lack thereof) of students’ critical thinking ability. It is said to hinder their thought processes and expressive abilities. This has led to comparisons with institutions of higher learning in developed countries that celebrate such freedoms, which ostensibly have led to more critical and thoughtful students.
The contention in AUKU is whether students should have the freedom to be involved in politics on and off campus. At its inception, students at public universities were not allowed to participate in politics. However, in 2012, it was amended to allow students to do so outside the campus.
At present, the Education Ministry has initiated efforts to abolish AUKU. There will be a new act to replace it, that balances the academic-government — which would be more facilitative and symbiotic than regulatory, and is expected to be tabled in Parliament in 2020.
On Dec 11, Parliament passed amendments to AUKU as well as the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 and the Educational Institutions (Discipline) Act 1976. The amendments grant students the freedom to take part in politics in their respective campuses. Empowering on-campus political activities has been one of the key demands of students — now, they are able to exercise this freedom.
Why should political freedom be allowed at the university? Instilling critical thinking skills, encouraging intellectual debates, respecting people's opinions and enhancing language proficiency are among the major roles of universities today.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has continually emphasised that to achieve these goals, freedom of speech and taking part in politics are among the factors that must be practiced at universities. This will further expose them to the democratic system and foster their active participation in the country’s democratic governance.
To date, we have seen the empowerment and establishment of the speaker's corner at public universities which aims to encourage and empower students to speak out. Efforts have begun when, for the first time, students are allowed to organise the 2018 campus elections without intervention from the university management.
Starting next year, student unions will be set up to develop students' ability to manage student affairs on campus. All of these efforts are to empower students who will one day lead and develop the country. As is often said, “if we want to see the progress of a nation in the future, we need to look at the youth of today”.
The cabinet, in its meeting on Nov 9, has given its approval for Section 15(2)(c) to be abolished before the Act 30 is repealed.
Questions have been raised on why Section 16 of the AUKU was also not repealed. This section refers to the power of the vice-chancellor to suspend or dissolve any organisation, body or group of students where, in general, this section does not permit the establishment or conduct of any affairs which may jeopardise the university’s interests and harmony.
Generally, abolishing Section 16 is seen as an “easy move”, to provide freedom to any organisation, body or a group of students to conduct its business. However, this section also relates to other provisions in the act and other acts. Nevertheless, vice-chancellors are aware of the new spirit of empowering students, and the ministry believes that they will adopt a more purposive, as opposed to restrictive, approach when it comes to student advocacy.
Maszlee had also said abolishing Section 15(2)(c) was in line with the political transformation by the government to strengthen democratic institutions, especially in providing avenues for university students to engage in political activities and voice out their opinions on current issues at national and international levels.
“We are at the stage of making a historical achievement. The experiences we are facing today will be recorded in history as this amendment has long been hoped for by many, especially students,” said Maszlee.
Abolishing Section 15(2)(c) is only the first step towards realising the bigger picture —that is, replacing AUKU with a new act which will embrace the changed spirit and revived philosophy and uplift the higher education sector to the next level.
We have to work together to make this happen in a gradual, effective and sustainable manner.
The writer is director-general of Higher Education, Education Ministry. This article was translated by Dr Wan Farah Wani Wan Fakhruddin, a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Language Academy and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities