Beware changing Hong Kong university chancellor system, says Peter Mathieson
University of Hong Kong president says review should be based on what structure best serves an institution’s interests and not on debate about Leung Chun-ying’s popularity
The colonial practice where the political leader sits at the top of publicly funded universities should not be changed simply because he or she is unpopular, University of Hong Kong president Peter Mathieson said.
“If there are issues around the popularity of the current CE, that shouldn’t be the main determinant of who is the chancellor of the university,” he said, referring to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
He said any discussion to change the practice – as is being demanded by university students – should be based on what structure would best serve a university’s interests.
His comments follow an intense debate over the independence of governing councils, with angry university students demanding that Leung be stripped of his role as chancellor.
They have accused Leung of political interference in academic matters through his power to pick members of the governing council.
The pro-government members effectively shunned the recommendation from a committee headed by Mathieson to appoint former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as a pro-vice-chancellor. They apparently feared Chan was too close to the pan-democratic camp.