Most of the stakeholders in the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) have given their feedback on the proposed amendment, UUCA amendment committee chairman Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood said today.

"Most of the feedback from surveys or public opinions wanted the Act to be amended, but not abolished, with a 60:40 ratio," Nik Ahmad told reporters after attending a discourse entitled "Is UUCA still relevant?" here today.

On Nov 24 last year, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that Section 15 of the UUCA would be amended to allow university students above 21 years to join political parties.

However, Nik Ahmad, who is Universiti Islam Antarabangsa deputy rector (student affairs) said, students, academic staff, political parties, the ruling party and opposition parties felt students should be free from the influence of political parties on campus.

"This shows the thriving spirit that students should be allowed to engage in politics outside the campus.

"But the campus should remain free from politics on condition that they are given the freedom to listen to political views and political parties to espouse their ideologies," he said.

Even student representative councils, which were inclined to support certain political parties, felt that if a student holds a position in a political party, he or she should not capitalise on it to influence students on campus.

Nik Ahmad said the committee was still gathering feedback and would start preparing the draft of the amendment soon.

- Bernama