Youth leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman complained that he was blocked from speaking at two universities after signing the Citizens' Declaration which called for the removal of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and institutional reforms.

"I am disappointed with the Higher Education Ministry's last minute intervention to stop me from speaking at Uniten (Universiti Tenaga Nasional) and Usim (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia) due to an unsubstantiated controversy.

"These are programs which have initially been approved by respective universities.

"I was informed by the organisers that I will bring in 'external provocation'," he said in a statement today.

Syed Saddiq, known as Asia's top debater, said he was informed that the programs are postponed until the "political scene gets better".

He was scheduled to speak about the Palestinian plight, the refugee crisis and voluntarism among youths.

"This just shows how limited academic freedom is in Malaysian universities.

"I didn't know I could be a threat to university students by discussing about our brothers and sisters in Palestine," he said.

Syed Saddiq urged Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh to look into the matter.

"As a reformer, this is very uncharacteristic of his office. I am sure that this can be resolved amicably," he said.

Syed Saddiq was among the 58 leaders who signed the declaration last week which saw former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his allies coming together with the opposition and civil society.