KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 19 -- The Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) is set to be repealed, marking the end of a contentious 55-year legal era that defined, and often stifled, student activism in Malaysia.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made the landmark announcement during the PKR Congress on Saturday, promising that no new legislation intended to curtail freedom of expression would replace the outgoing Act.

Since its inception in April 1971, UUCA has undergone seven amendments. However, none of these incremental changes managed to silence the decades-long demand for its total abolition.

The road to restriction

The UUCA was Malaysia's answer to a wave of student unrest in the early-to-mid 1970s, when university ...