Johannes Chan: Arthur Li ‘not the type of person’ to lead HKU
Academic rejected for top management job says chief executive should be stripped of his role as chancellor of local tertiary institutions
The liberal scholar barred from joining the top management of the University of Hong Kong hit back at a vocal critic, saying former education minister Arthur Li Kwok-cheung "simply is not the type of person" to lead HKU's governing body.
Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun also suggested that the chief executive be stripped of the role of chancellor when the Institute of Education is elevated to become a university. The position is seen by critics as a way for the city's leader to exercise control, if not interference, in the operation of universities, although the government has repeatedly denied it.
Chan, a former HKU law dean, was rejected by the university's council in a 12-8 vote to become a pro-vice-chancellor, even though he was the only candidate recommended.
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Leaked recordings showed that pro-government members called into question his academic standing, with Li, who is also an executive councillor and tipped to become the next chairman of the HKU council, criticising his lack of a PhD status.
While Chan said in a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club yesterday that it "does not require a PhD" to conclude his promotion was blocked due to political interference, he did not say whether pressure came from the chief executive.
But Chan suggested stripping the chief executive of his leading university role - a tradition inherited from the colonial era - by making use of the change of status of the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
"It is unclear if the universities themselves are prepared to initiate amendments to remove this abnormality," Chan said. "[But when] the HKIEd is elevated to be a university, this will require an amendment to the HKIEd Ordinance … That may be a litmus test."