Chinese University alumni leader urges Hong Kong lawmakers to delay vetting bill to overhaul governing body
- Kelvin Yeung, a member of Chinese University’s council, calls for Legco committee to delay reading private members’ bill and allow varsity time to review proposal first
- Alumni leader also slams lawmakers behind bill for ‘completely ignoring views of university members and alumni’
A member of Chinese University’s governing body has launched a last-ditch effort to delay the Hong Kong legislature’s vetting of a controversial private members’ bill that would allow non-staff representatives to dominate the varsity’s council.
Kelvin Yeung Yu-ming, who holds a council spot as chair of CUHK’s statutory alumni body, on Thursday slammed the three fellow members and lawmakers behind the bill for “completely ignoring the views of university members and alumni”.
The open letter from Yeung was published on social media a day before a Legislative Council bills committee is set to start vetting the proposal, which seeks to downsize the CUHK governing body from 55 members to 34 and impose a 2:1 ratio for external and internal representatives.
“The Legco is in recess over the summer holiday. There appears to be no urgent need for the bills committee to finish the work of scrutinising the bill,” he said. “Would it not be better for the university management to come up with appropriate proposals … before resuming the second reading debate?”
Lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu defended the bill to amend the Chinese University Ordinance, a proposal he put forward alongside legislators Tommy Cheung Yu-yan and Edward Lau Kwok-fan.