That draconian move by then-education minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad killed all thought and political discussion within local universities for the next half century and led to the reduction of societal awareness among students.
It helped produce a generation of self-absorbed, unthinking but “educated” adults interested only in their own well-being, devoid of idealism and lofty ambitions for doing good.
This came from people who were politically very active during their own student days - when they fought against concepts such as the Malayan Union in the late 1940s and 1950s.
They were allowed to by the British colonialists but our own political leaders, when they came to power, shut down the development of student awareness after independence! Why?...