Letter to Editor
INSTEAD of heeding students’ demands, the Higher Education Ministry turned its recent town hall into a brainwashing session by ignoring tertiary students’ call to abolish the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU).
Understandably, the top-down political show that repeatedly emphasised the need for the government to retain AUKU disappointed many varsity students who were eager to see reforms during the two-hour session.
The purpose of organising a town hall was supposed to provide a two-way platform for communication, allowing the Higher Education Ministry to understand the opinions and demands of all stakeholders, including varsity students, lecturers and academics in order to push forward higher education reform.
Regrettably, the Higher Education Ministry had turned the town hall into a brainwashing session with the minister and university management imposing and indoctrinating their views on students and other attendees.
The town hall had nothing to do with contributing to the reform of the higher education sector except for allowing officials to boast about achieving the ministry’s key performance indicators (KPI).
The Higher Education Ministry obviously had no intention of listening to students’ demands to abolish AUKU. They avoided many sharp questions from students and refused to address demands to abolish the draconian law. As a result, many students were left dissatisfied and disappointed.
Meanwhile, during a dialogue session with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam students on Friday (April 7), Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim repeated that there is no need to abolish AUKU and merely agreed to amend some of its provisions.
Anwar’s repeated remarks in support of retaining the draconian law are disappointing, particularly because he was one of the former student activists targeted by the authoritarian regime in the 1970s. Anwar should be open-minded and listen to the voices of students and scholars before making an important decision regarding the draconian law.
The Higher Education Ministry’s plan to amend some provisions of AUKU is insufficient to restore student autonomy. Furthermore, abolishing AUKU is also a crucial step toward safeguarding academic freedom.
For instance, AUKU now grants power to the government and the Higher Education Minister to appoint vice-chancellors, thus political interference in universities is hardly avoidable.
As such, AUKU has to be abolished in order to usher in a democratic and transparent system in choosing top posts of universities. This will promote better governance in universities – for competent and experienced candidates instead of political lackeys to be elected by university stakeholders.
Apart from that, PM Anwar and the Higher Education Minister should demonstrate their commitment to reform by holding a genuine town hall or dialogue. It is imperative for the government to listen to the views of varsity students, lecturers and academics as well as heeding demands to abolish AUKU.
Varsity students who are part and parcel of the new generation hope for substantive changes and a better future. We must not let them down. – April 9, 2023
Ho Chi Yang is the DAP Socialist Youth’s (DAPSY) national varsity affairs bureau director.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Photo credit: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook
