Decision-makers at University of Hong Kong are torn between Beijing and pan-democrats over pro-democracy scholar Johannes Chan
NG KANG-CHUNG AND JOYCE NG
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 12:01am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 1:58am
In the end, HKU's governing council last night rejected Chan's appointment by 12 votes to eight. Photo: Felix Wong
Rarely is the appointment of a pro-vice-chancellor at a university as controversial and politicised as that of former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun's.
Either way, the University of Hong Kong was trapped in a lose-lose situation: if the institution's top decision-makers endorsed Chan, they would be accused of bowing to political pressure from pan-democrats; if his candidature was not approved, they would still be seen as yielding to pressure - from Beijing.
"Outside forces are trying to pressure the university," political analyst Dr Chung Kim-wah, of Polytechnic University, said.
"No matter which side wins, the only result is that the reputation of the university is hurt as institutional autonomy comes under threat."
In the end, HKU's governing council last night rejected Chan's appointment by 12 votes to eight.
Apparent political leanings within the council were exposed soon afterwards by Billy Fung Jing-yen, president of HKU's student union who, as a council member, was privy to the comments of pro-government members at the closed-door talks.
According to Fung, Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung noted Chan did not have a PhD degree and was recommended "only because he was a nice guy".
Leoni Ki Man-fung, Margaret Leung Ko May-yee and Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng were cited as saying Chan had revealed to the media he was selected before the recruitment process ended.
Chan had written a newspaper article saying he sensed political interference after rumours that he was shortlisted.
Edward Chen Kwan-yiu was quoted as saying Chan seldom published in academic journals and questioning his ability to process job applications filed to HKU, as many would be PhD holders.
According to Billy Fung, Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung noted Chan (above) did not have a PhD degree and was recommended "only because he was a nice guy".Chen later rebuked Fung and denied having said anything about PhDs.
Lo Chung-mau, who was admitted to hospital after students stormed the council's July talks, allegedly said he was upset Chan "did not send him regards" and his academic achievements were "not even comparable to an assistant professor's".
Martin Liao Cheung-kong was quoted as saying he found on the Google Scholar search engine that Chan had published only four articles in the last five years. Liao later clarified that Fung "didn't understand what I said".
Rosanna Wong Yick-ming said Chan was a divisive figure and his appointment would split the university, according to Fung.
On the lack of a PhD, Chan's supporters and colleagues earlier said that unlike in other disciplines, common-law scholars had no tradition of pursuing PhDs.
The appointment saga could be traced back to 2013 when the HKU council decided to revive the post of pro-vice-chancellor for academic staffing and resources, after a similar position remained vacant for five years.
The office holder, according to HKU, is "responsible for developing the university's policies and processes in academic resource allocation, inclusive of financial resources, and all facets of faculty recruitment, retention and professional development".
City University political scientist Dr James Sung Lap-kung said: "It is such a powerful post that the last thing Beijing wants is to let it fall into the hands of a pan-democrat-friendly person."
A global recruitment exercise began and a council-appointed search committee picked Chan late last year, subject to the council's formal approval - usually a procedural endorsement.
Before his job could be cast in stone, however, Chan was accused of mishandling a donation passed on from a colleague, Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting. Part of the HK$1.45 million in donations was used for Occupy-related activities.
With that, what should have been an academic affair became politicised and degenerated into open confrontation between Beijing loyalists and pan-democrats.
Ahead of last night's meeting, council member Dr Cheung Kie-chung said: "Damage done cannot be undone. The best way is to follow the established procedure to confirm the recommendation of the search committee.
"If we do not trust the committee's decision, why should we appoint it in the first place?"
http://m.scmp.com/news/article/1862573/hong-kong-university-study-politics-academia-amid-disputed-appointment-johannes
