HKU professor points to bias against rule of law among liberal arts teachers
Dr Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law and the convenor of a steering committee for the rule-of-law education project, said he realised that some liberal studies teachers had insufficient legal knowledge, as became apparent during their attendance of the project's workshops.
A University of Hong Kong law professor, who helped host a workshop to educate liberal studies teachers, says he believes too many of them are biased against the rule of law.
Dr Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law and the convenor of a steering committee for the rule-of-law education project, said he realised that some liberal studies teachers had insufficient legal knowledge, as became apparent during their attendance of the project's workshops.
As an example he cited a judicial review of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project, which a resident, concerned about its environmental impact, sought and was granted in 2010.
Approval of the application led to substantial delays in the HK$30 billion project, which has since gone ahead and is now due for completion in 2016.
"Many teachers, like the general public, thought that the judicial review had led to the loss of a lot of money … they even doubted whether there should be a judicial review," he said. "But a judicial review is an essential tool for the legal system to restrict [the abuse of] power."
In another case, he said some teachers were unsure whether it was unacceptable to use torture to obtain evidence. "I feel a little bit disappointed [about these biased perceptions]," Tai said.