Institute inquiry buoyed free speech, says Morris
The president of the Hong Kong Institute of Education has praised the commission that inquired into interference in its autonomy, saying that speech and academic freedom are core values in the city.
'Looking back, I have come to the view that the whole exercise sends some strong messages: the government officials in Hong Kong are not above the law; that there are processes here for putting things right and they should be strengthened and used; and that freedom of speech and academic freedom are important to this community,' he wrote in the final issue of the Civic Party's A45 newspaper published yesterday.
Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, chief editor of the paper, said Paul Morris had written the article before he was sent on immediate leave by the institute's ruling council on Monday. His term as president ends in September.
Professor Morris agreed with the commission's report that it might not have been presented with the whole truth, but he said: 'It is now up to other people to continue to ensure that the truth prevails.'
During the 39 days of proceedings, Professor Morris said, it was 'tough sitting on an uncomfortable bench for several hours each day', and it was 'galling to have to sit and listen to outrageous things being said without being able to correct them immediately'.
To keep the issue of academic freedom in the public eye, academics and students have been urged to protest against government interference on Sunday.
Dennis Wong Kin-hei, the Hong Kong Federation of Students' spokesman on the July 1 march, said the scope of academic freedom had narrowed in recent years, the latest example being the interference by education officials in the internal affairs of the institute. 'Students should come out and tell the government this shouldn't go on,' he said.
The federation consists of student associations at seven universities and is affiliated with the student unions of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the HKIEd.
Federation secretary-general Lee Yiu-gei said a law should be passed to protect academic freedom.
The federation urged the Legislative Council to set up an independent committee to look into claims of government meddling with academic freedom and the autonomy of institutes.
It also demanded an apology from education minister Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and former permanent secretary for education Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun over 'the incident of interfering with HKIEd'.
Staff representatives of tertiary institutes have also called for participation in the protests. They are: Fung Wai-wah, vice-chairman of the staff association at City University; To Yiu-ming, head of the staff union at Baptist University; and Chan Che-wai, head of the academic staff association at the University of Hong Kong.
'We should exercise our right. Academic freedom cannot be trampled on,' Dr Chan said.
