Student protesters flash red cards at Adam during anti-UUCA rally

Student protesters have described Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim as a “reneger” for backtracking on his initial promises to abolish the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

Abolishing the UUCA was Pakatan Harapan Youth’s key campaign promise in the 2023 15th general election.

At a protest outside Parliament this morning, nearly 100 students from the Abolish UUCA Secretariat held up red cards in a symbolic gesture of disappointment with the deputy minister during a memorandum handover. 

They were also seen holding effigies of the deputy minister and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir, chanting “Adam, you have broken your promise”, and calling Zambry a coward for refusing to attend the memorandum handover.

“When Adam came down to meet us, we blew whistles and held up red cards as a symbolic gesture, because we feel that his performance as a deputy minister has been very disappointing and upsetting. 

“In a football match, a red card usually means that the player should be out, which is what we also wanted to show today,” Liga Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya president Alyaah Hani Anuar told Malaysiakini. 

‘Older people shouldn’t run Higher Edu Ministry’

Earlier, the students began marching from Plaza Tugu Negara at 9am, reaching the Parliament gates about 45 minutes later. Amidst heavy police presence, the gathering remained peaceful throughout.

The students eventually dispersed around 11.30am after waiting for Zambry, who did not show up.

The memorandum was instead delivered to Adam, and another representative from the Higher Education Ministry, who said he had been sent to meet the students on behalf of the minister.

Alyaah explained that the students had gathered despite it being the exam season, as a firm rejection of the higher education minister’s outright refusal to abolish the Act.

“Older people should not lead the ministry, we do not want them to administer our universities because they do not understand us students, since they left university long ago.

“Unfortunately, it is also unhelpful when we have a deputy minister ‘yang tidak berfungsi‘(non-functional), like Adam.

“Our message to him is clear - if UUCA is not abolished within the remaining period of the Madani administration, then students and the youth will definitely reject him, because we can no longer believe in his fight and unfulfilled promises,” she said.

‘Students deserve to be heard’

Upon receiving the memorandum, Adam said that he would pass on the students’ demands to the minister and assured that the necessary steps would be taken to consider them.

“With or without UUCA, what is most important is that students do not have to worry about freely expressing themselves, their criticisms, and their opinions. 

“For transparency’s sake, this is also not the first time a similar memorandum has been delivered to the Higher Education Ministry, and I assure that today’s priority will be given to the students,” he said.

Adam added that he accepted the memorandum “with an open heart”, acknowledging that it was not only the responsibility of his ministry to prioritise the students’ demands, but the “moral responsibility” of everyone present.

In response, Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia president Brendon Gan expressed disappointment with Adam’s reaction, claiming the latter had abandoned his struggles as a former activist.

“I am very disappointed, because he used to be a very vocal activist who fought for UUCA’s abolishment. But now, he has simply said ‘with or without the Act’, students should still be allowed to have their voices heard.

“Instead, he should have remained firm in continuing to fight for the Act to be abolished, as he had done before,” the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia student said.

‘Untrue’ varsities unregulated without UUCA

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman also met with the students to receive the memorandum and acknowledged that it was “definitely” time for the UUCA to be abolished, adding that he had campaigned for this as well.

“We always get the typical bureaucratic answer saying that when you abolish the UUCA, it means that universities are almost without any laws, which is technically not true. 

“Because there are many other requirements that still need to be considered in the control of the universities.

“What these students are protesting is against the existing requirements that ultimately allow any government, regardless of party, to control the management of the university, appointments, funding, and the governance and council at these universities,” he said.

The former youth and sports minister added that he would pay close attention to the “genuine reforms” the students proposed in the memorandum, and that he looked forward to debating the matter in Parliament.

‘Disruptive’ to bin UUCA

Last week, the students established a joint coalition of varsity organisations from over 30 universities nationwide to call for the UUCA’s abolishment after Zambry said that the law would not be repealed.

The higher education minister argued that improving the Act would be more realistic than abolishing it, explaining that repealing the law was a time-consuming process.

He explained that abolishing the Act would result in the creation of new constitutions in each public university, which would disrupt operations.

In its GE15 manifesto, Harapan pledged to repeal UUCA to give more autonomy to universities and higher education institutions.

In 2023, Adam, then the deputy youth and sports minister, planned a meeting with then higher education minister Khaled Nordin to express his and Harapan Youth’s stance against the Act.

While what transpired during the meeting is unclear, it did not change the government’s position on the UUCA.

Instead, the government introduced amendments in 2024 that gave universities the power to limit a student’s tenure on student councils.

The amendments were passed despite Harapan and opposition MPs expressing concerns that the government was further restricting students’ freedom.

Khaled had defended the UUCA as necessary, saying the law remains significant, particularly in managing universities.

COMMENT | Why can't we just bury UUCA?

Students form national movement to abolish UUCA

UM students rally against controversial campus rules

'Cesspool of corruption': Students urge probe into uni procurements

Student group accuses UM of threatening pro-Palestine activists

'Remember when Harapan slammed BN for suppressing student voices?'