SHIRLEY ZHAO, PHILA SIU AND LAI YING-KIT
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 11:51am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 12:55pm
Johannes Chan at Commercial Radio where he appeared this morning to discuss his failed candidacy. Photo: Sam Tsang
Defeated pro-vice-chancellor candidate Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun took to the air waves today, blaming political interference for his failed appointment and urging accountability over confidentiality as the conflict-riddled university goes forward and a legal challenge is contemplated.
Speaking first on a Commercial Radio programme this morning, Chan said the first principle for a publicly-funded organisation is to be open and transparent about its operations.
“Confidentiality should not be an excuse to avoid accountability to the public, especially when this matter has attracted great attention,” said the former law dean of the University of Hong Kong. “It seems necessary for the council to give further explanations.”
Last night by a 12 to 8 margin the university’s governing council voted in a secret ballot to reject a search committee’s recommendation that Chan take up the post of a pro-vice-chancellor in charge of academic staffing and resources.
Peter Mathieson (second right), President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, meets alumni protesting before a university committee meeting. Photo: ReutersThe decision drew immediate condemnation from students and alumni, who accused pro-government council members of politicising an academic matter. They are preparing to bring the matter to court, although Chan said last night he did not intend to do so.
Both student leader Billy Fung Jing-en and Ip Kin-yuen, convenor of the alumni concern group, said today they were now consulting legal advice on whether to launch a judicial review over the matter.
HKU Council Chairman Dr Leong Che-hung(front) with University of Hong Kong vice chancellor Professor Peter Mathieson meet the press after the Council meeting at the HKU. Photo: Felix WongOpposition to Chan’s appointment had been linked to his close ties to university colleague Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a co-founder of the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement.
Council chairman Edward Leong Che-hung declined to reveal the considerations behind the decision on the grounds of confidentiality and protecting Chan’s privacy.
Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme this morning, however, Chan said the first principle for a publicly-funded organisation is to be open and transparent about its operation.
Despite the confidentiality requirement, an angry HKU student union president Billy Fung Jing-en, who sits on the council, disclosed what pro-government council members and non-HKU staff had said behind closed doors.
Quoting executive councillor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and seven others and appearing on the same Commercial Radio programme, Fung cited reasons they gave, ranging from Chan’s lack of a PhD to his failure to “send regards” to a council member who collapsed in July when students stormed a governing council meeting addressing the appointment.
Fung, who sits on the council, may face disciplinary action from the government body after he breached confidentiality. The student said he felt compelled to reveal the “ludicrous” rationale.
Addressing the matter on the programme, Chan quipped: “I didn’t know sending regards to people had become a criterion [for appointments].”
READ MORE: Johannes Chan's appointment vote at Hong Kong University: why it's a big deal
Chan was said to have not gained support for failing to send regards to a council member who fell during a meeting that students stormed in July. Photo: Dickson LeePreviously named an honorary senior counsel, he also said many top judges and law deans at many prestigious universities do not hold doctorate degrees.
Chan elaborated on a second radio programme that he thought his rejection for the key managerial post stemmed from “political interference”.
Speaking on RTHK, he said that extensive coverage of his candidacy since last November illustrated that political fears motivated opposition to his candidacy.
“You can see how big the political interference was,” Chan said. “When was the last time left-wing newspapers ran hundreds of articles about a university appointment?” By his friend's count, more than 300 articles had been published attacking him.
Chan added that, even before the city’s lawmakers rejected a Beijing-backed political reform proposal in June this year, central government representatives had visited the longtime law professor and asked him for his opinions.
Dr Cheung Kie-chung, a mechanical engineering associate professor who sits on the council, said last night’s discussion preceding the vote was “unreasonable”.
“I cannot reveal what was discussed during the meeting, but if you heard what Billy Fung Jing-en said, you will be able to see where the unreasonable elements are,” said Cheung on the same RTHK programme.
Also speaking on RTHK, Ip Kin-yuen, the alumni concern group convenor, said he was not satisfied with council chairman Leong’s assurances after announcing the rejection.
“What did he mean when he said the decision was made for the long-term benefits of the university?” Ip asked.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1862650/going-down-swinging-university-hong-kongs
