Former Law Society president offended by profanity and 'rude' students
CHRIS LAUchris.lau@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 11 November, 2015, 12:01am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 11 November, 2015, 5:50am
Lingnan University's newly-appointed council member Junius Ho, left, saw red following a question from students' union president Philip Lau.Photo: Felix Wong
A high-profile appointee to Lingnan University's council stormed out of one of his first events, a forum on academic freedom, after students swore as they questioned him.
Junius Ho Kwan-yiu - who once criticised students for performing a song laden with curse words - again declared a contempt for profanity.
READ MORE: University of strife: Lingnan's new council member Junius Ho Kwan-yiu never far from controversy
"I cannot accept swear words in Lingnan University," said Ho, the former president of the Law Society, who was appointed to the council by chief executive Leung Chun-ying last month, prompting concerns academic freedom at the university could be undermined.
He said such language might be common among students "flirting with one another".
Ho's comments came during a question-and-answer session, during which two students swore at him. They also accused him of not being able to provide views on liberal arts - the cornerstone of the university's curriculum for which it has been recently named one of the top 10 in Asia by Forbes Magazine.
Suddenly slamming his microphone on the table, Ho then accused Philip Lau Chun-lam, the student union president, of attacking his family personally.
Lau later said he had asked if Ho would flirt with his wife in the way he suggested students did with one another.
Speaking after the meeting, Ho said the students' rude attitude was not something taxpayers would expect.
But Lau said: "The students think he didn't respect us through the language and action he chose, despite claiming to be humble."
Last month about 100 students forced a council meeting to be suspended in a protest against the appointments of Ho, solicitor Maggie Chan Man-ki and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference representative Michael Ngai Ming-tak.
Earlier this week, the university launched a poll on three motions: whether the chief executive's automatic appointment as university chancellor should be scrapped; whether the city's leader should retain the authority to appoint council members; and whether the proportion of teachers and students on the council should be increased.
The incident came as the content of a HKU council meeting, relating to the rejection of law scholar Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun for a prominent post, became the centre of a court battle with HKU seeking an injunction to restrict publication of leaked material.
Ho is contesting Lok Tsui in Tuen Mun in the November 22 district council polls against Albert Ho Chun-yan, Cheng Chung-tai, Cheung Wing-wai, Shum Kam-tim and Yuen Wai-chung.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1877647/tensions-hong-kong-universities-continue-lingnan
