Pollster faced internal claims that surveys were non-academic activities, panel told

Hong Kong University's top management put pressure on Robert Chung Ting-yiu over his opinion polls, it was claimed yesterday.

Senior Counsel Alan Hoo, questioning Dr Chung on the third day of an inquiry into alleged government interference with opinion surveys, argued that there was internal pressure on the pollster.

The panel heard that vice-chancellor Professor Cheng Yiu-chung believed the Social Sciences Research Centre, to which Dr Chung was attached when pressure was allegedly exerted by the Chief Executive, should not be involved in routine opinion polls that did not require the expertise of academic staff. Professor Cheng's view was carried in notes from an informal meeting with senior university staff, including pro-vice-chancellor Professor Wong Siu-lun, last November.

According to Professor Cheng's statement, the role and mission of the centre had been a matter of concern since early 1998. His view was that conducting opinion polls alone was not of high academic merit and was an activity which could be done by commercial organisations, said Mr Hoo, representing Tung Chee-hwa's senior special assistant, Andrew Lo Cheung-on. The Faculty of Social Science and an ad hoc group chaired by the university's Professor Felice Lieh-mak had also had a debate on the standard of opinion polls conducted by the research centre. The ad hoc group was formed to consider setting up an institute for policies and strategic studies.

Mr Hoo said: 'There are opinions held by very senior people of the university, very respected people of the university, which are critical of the work of your centre. When you are talking about pressures on your work, these pressures loomed very large and immediate even within the university itself.'

Dr Chung, director of the Public Opinion Programme of the Hong Kong University's Journalism and Media Studies Centre, said he was not aware of the exchanges until yesterday's hearing. 'I have been working on this for so many years, I did not get that message.' But he agreed the evidence showed senior management had been critical of his work.