Credit : Fahmi Fadzil's X
PUTRAJAYA, October 30, 2026 — The Cabinet has agreed that a bill to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this December, MADANI Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today.
Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, announced the decision at his press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting. He later shared on X a Bernama report on the announcement, and earlier in the evening quoted an Information Department of Malaysia (JAPEN) post stating that the Cabinet had agreed for the AUKU amendment bill to be tabled in Parliament in December 2026, adding a graduation cap and a Malaysian flag of his own.
Two-step plan for student freedom
According to Bernama, Fahmi said the decision was made after the Cabinet approved a proposal by the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) to carry out two measures aimed at giving university students the freedom to speak up.
“The first is to amend AUKU, especially the provisions of sections seen as restricting the freedom of students to speak or to associate, and the second is to develop a new act to fully replace AUKU within a reasonable period,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.
“In that regard, the Cabinet agreed that the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, will present the AUKU amendment bill to be brought to Parliament this December. That is to amend AUKU, especially the provisions of sections that restrict the freedom of students,” he said.
A new law will take longer
Fahmi said drafting the new act that will fully replace AUKU would take KPT some time, as it needs to examine every aspect of the law, especially the registration, listing and management of universities. “That will take some time because KPT needs to take into account several new matters, perhaps in the way universities are managed,” he said.
The announcement follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s pledge in August to abolish AUKU altogether. As reported by LNA at the time, Anwar made the announcement during his policy speech at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) National Congress in Melaka on August 15, 2026, saying students felt they should be freer and that some groups remained dissatisfied despite several earlier amendments to the Act. According to Bernama, Anwar said the proposal to repeal the law was meant to give student movements greater freedom and wider democratic space, after taking into account memorandums and views submitted by student leaders who wanted a complete overhaul of the Act.
Seven student-related sections
Later that month, Zambry said seven of AUKU’s 44 sections relate to students, including aspects of their freedom, and that these would be given priority in the review and repeal process, LNA reported on August 30. He explained that AUKU is not only about students but is also the parent Act that forms the basis for establishing a university, with the remaining sections covering matters such as the establishment, administration and governance of universities. He said KPT was also considering a new law, such as a One Higher Education Act, to streamline the various statutes on higher education, and that an independent committee had been set up to collect and evaluate memorandums and views from academics and student representatives.
Today’s Cabinet decision effectively splits that work into two stages: a targeted amendment to the sections seen as curbing students’ freedom of expression and association, to be tabled in December, followed by a full replacement law at a later date. AUKU, introduced in 1971, is the main law governing public universities in Malaysia and has long been criticised by student activists for limiting political activity on campus.
Source : Fahmi Fadzil’s X, with details reported by Bernama.
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