JOYCE NGjoyce.ng@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 06 October, 2015, 3:12pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 06 October, 2015, 4:46pm
The marchers held a minute's silence. Photo: Sam Tsang
More than 2,000 staff and students of the University of Hong Kong today joined a silent march demanding its governing council explain its decision to reject a liberal scholar’s candidacy for a key managerial post.
At about 1.15pm, the procession reached Sun Yat-sen Place on the main campus and observed a minute of silence.
Professor Timothy O’Leary, head of HKU’s school of humanities and one of the organisers, said: “There has been a slow and steady campaign going on in the council ... HKU is in a crisis of governance. The chairman must address the issue immediately.”
O’Leary added the chief executive of Hong Kong should no longer be the chancellor of all the city’s public universities.
READ MORE: Hong Kong University appointment saga: has a shadow been cast over the campus?
He also announced the setting up of a “vigilance group" to monitor and offer support for staff concerned about encroachment on their academic freedom.
The three other organisers of the rally are Professor Lusina Ho of the law faculty, Professor Joseph Chan Cho-wai of the department of politics and public administration, and Dr Petula Ho Sik-ying of the department of social work and social administration.
Johannes Chan is a former HKU law dean. Photo: Sam Tsang
Staff members, pan-democrats and students see the council’s decision denying former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun the pro-vice-chancellorship as a political move to punish him for his pro-democracy background and close ties to Occupy Central co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting.
Tai, an HKU associate law professor, was among the marchers, as was former arts dean Douglas Kerr, professor in jurisprudence Scott Veitch, Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu, head of HKU’s Public Opinion Programme, and Dr Fung King-wah, associate professor of the journalism and media studies centre.
A group of alumni will hold a forum on campus to discuss follow-up actions to protect institutional autonomy.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1864546/hku-staff-and-students-hold-silent-march-demand
