A senior Hong Kong University staff member said the management had not seriously addressed Andrew Lo's comments on Dr Robert Chung's polls.
Acting vice-chancellor Professor Ian Davies, testifying at yesterday's hearing, said Mr Lo was quoted by Professor Cheng Yiu-chung at a senior management team meeting in January last year as expressing concerns about 'monitoring, quality and impartiality' of the polls. But Professor Davies said there was not much discussion of the subject. He said pro-vice-chancellor Professor Cheng Kai-ming had commented that 'it was the problem of the Chief Executive's Office, not the university'.
Pro-vice-chancellor Professor Chow Shew-ping told the inquiry Professor Cheng Yiu-chung had expressed concern in January this year about a Mirror magazine article attacking Dr Chung's polls because he was worried the university would be given a 'political hat'.
Professor Chow said he had defended the work by the Social Science Research Centre and that Professor Wong Siu-lun had also said the Mirror article contained exaggeration and errors.
The university students' union petitioned inquiry panel chairman Mr Justice Noel Power, demanding his investigation be stopped immediately because it favoured 'rich witnesses' who could afford to hire lawyers to represent them. The union also said the panel was powerless to summon witnesses or require them to give evidence on oath.
Mr Justice Power received the petition, only to learn the students had wrongly addressed it to 'Justice Powell'.