On second thought: politically divided Hong Kong needs to settle credibility crisis after student-led protest at HKU
University of Hong Kong protest is a clear sign that a credibility crisis must be addressed
It takes a fool not to recognise standards in Hong Kong are slipping. It takes a bigger fool not to do something about it.
Take the month of July, for instance. It began with a litany of woes.
There was the discovery of lead contamination in tap water that struck us like a thunderbolt. As if this was not enough, there were cases of food poisoning linked to imported sandwiches and fungal infection from hospital linen.
For those of us who have banked on clean water, safe food and hygienic hospitals, there goes our faith and face.
July ended no better than it began.
On July 28 came the sorry saga of protesting students storming a closed-door session of the University of Hong Kong council.
This protest has led to a double whammy: it has not attained its objectives, and it has mistaken pandemonium and insults for power and influence.
Deans of many faculties have issued a joint statement condemning the students' behaviour.
Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, a council member, was given much airtime. A respected straight talker, he likened the protesters' behaviour to that of mainland students at the start of the Cultural Revolution.
There's the rub.
Whereas the Cultural Revolution was inspired by the nation's top leadership, Hong Kong protesters are angered by suspected political interference from the top.
This anger appears to have been triggered by unseemly delays in filling the post of pro-vice-chancellor at the university, thereby breaching established appointment procedures.
Explanations about the delays came in dribs and drabs, giving the impression the council had something to hide.
Any information shrouded in secrecy breeds misinformation, speculation and suspicion.
There are stories of mysterious middlemen messing with due process. There are worries over the loss of academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
However, whether the council is in a right old pickle is a matter of personal perception.
What is obvious is that there is a looming credibility crisis that needs to be addressed with guts and gumption.
For one thing, we need to take a hard look at HKU's governance structure through its ordinance vis-à-vis those of other leading universities. If there is a need to revamp ours, we should do so to reflect public aspirations, forestall intrusion into the university's autonomy, prevent interference, and make assurance of academic freedom doubly sure.
Hong Kong is no longer "a borrowed place on borrowed time". The stresses and strains we see today are signs of us battling for a better place tomorrow.
Behind every dark cloud, there is the sun. We are looking for the silver lining.
