Councillors at University of Hong Kong must build mutual trust with combative chairman known as ‘King Arthur’, outgoing member says
- Known for his authoritarian approach, Arthur Li has been reappointed for a second three-year term
- Former staff representative Joseph Chan said he built a working relationship with the chairman over time
Members of the University of Hong Kong’s governing council should try to build a working relationship with the chairman even if ideological differences cannot be reconciled, a professor who is leaving the group has said.
The move met with a mixed response, with some praising Li’s tough leadership, while others have reservations about the combative style of governance of a man nicknamed “King Arthur”.
In the past, Li raised eyebrows when he criticised Occupy co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting, and other liberal scholars, for “not doing their job”. He also mocked student protesters, and said they had behaved as if they had “taken drugs” after they stormed the first meeting he chaired.
In an interview with the Post, Chan said he ran for the council in November 2015 over concerns the backlash from the Occupy movement would lead to political interference in the way the university was run.