Veteran democracy campaigner Martin Lee said the recent controversy over a key managerial appointment at the University of Hong Kong has cast a pall over the city and over Beijing's attempts to show that it's serious about change.
Mr Lee said it's important for President Xi Jinping to show the world that he is a reformer and not a dictator.
He said local government attempts to meddle in academic freedom in the city will only hinder President Xi's efforts on the global stage.
"Now he (President Xi) must persuade the international community that he is opening up China and that he wants to reform China. But if the Hong Kong government were to push this line of enabling the Liaison Office, for instance, to control Hong Kong to the extent of ruining our core values, then the message is very negative and is going to be entirely counterproductive, so the Hong Kong Government must not try to control our universities," said Mr Lee, who was speaking to reporters after attending a forum at HKU.
Critics have accused the government of undermining universities' autonomy, after the governing body of the University of Hong Kong last month decided not to appoint
former law dean and pro-democracy scholar, Professor Johannes Chan, to the post of pro-vice chancellor.
Mr Lee said it's important for President Xi Jinping to show the world that he is a reformer and not a dictator.
He said local government attempts to meddle in academic freedom in the city will only hinder President Xi's efforts on the global stage.
"Now he (President Xi) must persuade the international community that he is opening up China and that he wants to reform China. But if the Hong Kong government were to push this line of enabling the Liaison Office, for instance, to control Hong Kong to the extent of ruining our core values, then the message is very negative and is going to be entirely counterproductive, so the Hong Kong Government must not try to control our universities," said Mr Lee, who was speaking to reporters after attending a forum at HKU.
Critics have accused the government of undermining universities' autonomy, after the governing body of the University of Hong Kong last month decided not to appoint
former law dean and pro-democracy scholar, Professor Johannes Chan, to the post of pro-vice chancellor.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1217940-20151017.htm
