University of Hong Kong staff fail to turn up for vote on whether to back student class boycott
Extraordinary general meeting is called off for quorum reasons; students decide to suspend class boycott to focus on governance issues
An urgent meeting among University of Hong Kong staff to discuss whether to support the students’ call for a class boycott had to be cancelled due a surprisingly low turnout – which could reflect a lack of support for the cause, the Post has learned.
The development emerged as students decided on Sunday night to temporarily suspend their boycott over the appointment of Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung as HKU council chairman and their call for a review of the institution’s governing structure.
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However, fewer than 25 people turned up at the lunchtime session – lower than the required quorum.
Association chairman Professor William Cheung Sing-wai confirmed the vote had been cancelled, but would not speculate on the reason behind the low turnout.
“It is hard for me to guess why the members did not attend the meeting since they did not show up to convey their thoughts,” Cheung said.
“I guess it is possible that some people are not interested in the matter, or that some just dare not show up and express their views.”