CY Leung sidesteps questions on where he vetoed HKU honorary degree nominations
As chief executive sidesteps questions about whether he overruled any HKU nominations, a university council member demands answers
Did Leung Chun-ying interfere in the University of Hong Kong's administration? The guessing game continues as the chief executive last night declined to give a straight answer to questions on whether he vetoed nominations by a HKU committee for honorary degrees.
Leung was grilled by the media on a report, which, quoting sources in Polytechnic University's council, said Leung had told the council at a recent luncheon that he, as the HKU chancellor, had crossed out some names recommended by the its honorary degrees committee.
"I cannot comment on any cases [I have dealt with] in public office. But what I can say is that as the chief executive or as the chancellors [of universities], I have been following the relevant universities' ordinances in carrying out my duties," Leung said.
Under the HKU Ordinance, honorary degrees "may be conferred as the chancellor thinks fit on the recommendation" of the nominating body.
When asked whether the chancellor was allowed to ban nominations, Leung replied: "Not only me, but the previous chief executives and even the governors before the handover have been following the relevant ordinances in doing the job."
Chairman of the honorary degrees committee, David Li Kwok-po, and a HKU spokeswoman declined to comment.
But the spokeswoman said Henry Hu Hung-lick, the founder of Shue Yan University, was the only local to be awarded the honour next month. HKU has given the honours to between four and seven people in each exercise in the past four years.
Former HKU pro-vice-chancellor Professor Lee Chack-fan, who has taught at HKU for 20 years, said he had never before heard of a chancellor overruling the committee's nominations. "Once the committee came up with the names, the rest is formality," he said.
"The law says he has the power, but traditionally the chief executive has only been a figurehead of HKU. He is not supposed to take charge of matters like this," said Cheung. He said Leung should tell HKU council what names he banned and for what reason, adding that he would take the issue to the council tomorrow.
Another council member, Man Cheuk-fei, said the committee had an all-round representation, and wondered why Leung had told the PolyU council but not HKU's.
Others on the degrees committee include HKU vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson, three deans, council chairman Leong Che-hung and member Rosanna Wong Yik-ming, an HKU foundation director and an alumnus.
HKU has been embroiled in another academic-freedom controversy, with a top adviser to Leung admitting having discussed with unidentified people the possible appointment of pro- democracy legal scholar Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun to a pro-vice-chancellor post.
Leung said he "did not interfere in the process, including by phones or any other ways".
Meanwhile, most HKU law graduates in the justice department were "shocked and angered" at political interference into the possible appointment of Johannes Chan to the key management post, according to two lawyers from the department who declined to be identified.
Another source with ties to the judiciary said several judges had said in private about how "atypical" it was for a chief executive to allow his aides to try to interfere.
