Kuala Lampur, Aug. 19 -- For a long time, writing about academic freedom in Malaysia could feel like a rather lonely exercise.

I remember myself almost as a loner on the subject. Not entirely, of course, because there have always been academics, students, civil society groups and others who fought for this space.

But within the mainstream university environment, particularly public universities, "academic freedom" was hardly a phrase institutions rushed to embrace.

It was much easier to talk about excellence, rankings, employability, innovation, impact and internationalisation. Academic freedom was different because it raised questions about power.

Then, on August 15, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the government's intention t...