A leading pollster says Tung Chee-hwa has pressured him to stop carrying out surveys of Mr Tung's popularity and the Government's credibility.
Robert Chung Ting-yiu of the University of Hong Kong said that more than once last year the Chief Executive had given him a clear message 'via a special channel' that his surveys were not welcome. 'Mr Tung did not like me polling his popularity or the Government's credibility. I was told that he did not like to see universities involved in such activities and that our polls should stop,' he said, writing in today's South China Morning Post.
Speaking last night, Mr Chung, head of the university's Social Sciences Research Centre, said he had had a 'very clear and serious' message. Asked about his response, he said: 'I certainly was very unhappy.' He declined to say when the message was passed or the circumstances, but said he felt under pressure. 'He very much did not want me to continue with our polls. [But] I made clear we couldn't have any restriction zones. . .That's unethical.' In the article, Mr Chung said that before the handover he had been able to say he faced no political pressure in his job. 'Now, I have come to realise that I am a negative asset to my university. Unless, and until, Mr Tung has a change of heart, my university will suffer because of me.' A spokeswoman for the Chief Executive's Office described Mr Chung's allegations as 'totally groundless'. 'Mr Tung has openly said that he regards opinion polls as a reminder for him that he can perform better in certain areas,' she said.
Emily Lau Wai-hing of The Frontier said she found Mr Chung's claim alarming. 'We must find out what happened to Robert Chung and whether his superiors have put pressure on him as well. This is a very explosive subject.' Martin Lee Chu-ming, chairman of the Democratic Party, said: 'I find it to be a very serious matter. Does it mean his next step will be to ask people only to publish results which are advantageous to Tung Chee-hwa and to refrain from publishing those which are detrimental to him?' Lee Cheuk-yan of the Confederation of Trade Unions said: 'Academic freedom and freedom of expression are the benchmarks of a civilised society. How can Hong Kong remain a civilised society if he seeks to gag people from doing or saying what he doesn't like?' Mr Chung said he believed there had been a recent U-turn in Mr Tung's attitude to polls. Last month, Mr Tung told lawmakers he listened to surveys, and last week he said: 'I attach much importance to opinion polls.' But Mr Chung said it was not clear what Mr Tung meant. 'If Mr Tung has now made a 180-degree change of attitude from his stance last year, I can tell my colleagues to put their hearts at ease and continue with their work. But even if he said otherwise, we will continue with our work.' Mr Chung's organisation has carried out a number of polls on Mr Tung's and the Government's popularity, mostly painting a negative picture. A December survey showed Mr Tung's rating had dropped to its lowest since he took office.
In May last year, Mr Chung spoke on the right of abode issue, accusing the Government of misleading the public at the expense of its credibility. He said a government survey which said 1.67 million mainlanders had been made eligible to move here by a landmark Court of Final Appeal ruling was 'full of holes'.