Repealing AUKU: A Symbolic Victory for Malaysian Students, but What's Next? Malaysia's decision to repeal the 55 year old University and University Colleges Act (AUKU) has sent shockwaves across the nation.
The law, enacted in 1971 during Malaysia's authoritarian rule, had long been a thorn in the side of student activists, allowing university authorities to silence dissenting voices and suppress free speech.
The AUKU's abolition may seem like a nostalgic return to the era of Anwar Ibrahim, who was detained and imprisoned as a student leader in the 1970s for his involvement in the Baling protests.