By Emily Lau



Note: An outspoken and popular politician, the writer represents Hong Kong’s Democratic Party.

HONG KONG -- Last month the embattled vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Tsui Lap-chee, dropped a bombshell. He handed a letter to the university council chairman, Dr C.H. Leong, saying he would step down when his contract ends next August. Leong broke the news to the university council at a meeting on October 25.

Tsui's surprise announcement shocked the community. An eminent geneticist, he took the job nine years ago after a controversy engulfed his predecessor, Professor Cheng Yiu-chung. The scandal involved then-Hong-Kong-chief-executive C.H. Tung and HKU pollster Dr Robert Chung. The latter had done opinion surveys on the government's popularity and found that Tung's popularity plunged. Tung sent an assistant to meet Cheng to get him to put pressure on Chung.

When Chung revealed this, the community was scandalized. The university ordered an independent inquiry led by a court-of-appeal judge to investigate allegations of government interference in academic freedom. This led to Cheng's resignation.

Tsui worked hard to rebuild shattered confidence and restore HKU's good name. More than Hong Kong's top university, HKU regularly ranks among Asia's key institutions of higher learning and research. So it's unfortunate if Tsui must leave under a cloud.

No doubt, Tsui's sudden decision to forego a third five-year term relates to sorry circumstances surrounding a visit to HKU by China’s vice-premier, Li Keqiang, on August 18. It's an open secret that Li’s visit to mark HKU's centenary was decided at short notice. A guest at the ceremony said he received his invitation less than 10 days before the event.

The row focuses on the tight security mounted by police. Thousands of police were deployed to ensure the vice-premier neither saw, nor heard, protesters. Since it's well known that Li will succeed Wen Jiabao as China's premier, some commentators accused the government and university of using excessive means to curry favor.

A full-page newspaper-ad signed by 1,500 people called for Tsui to apologize and police commissioner Andy Tsang to resign. It said that by inviting Li, HKU had demeaned itself from a free campus into a place to suppress dissenting views.

Responding, Tsui said the vice-premier's visit was special and meaningful, but he voiced regret at the university's oversight in handling security on-campus. He expressed shock that such a large police contingent appeared on-campus and said he had asked secretary for security Ambrose Lee for an explanation.

The university council brushed aside calls for an independent inquiry. Instead, it appointed council member and former Law Society president Lester Huang to head a panel to review the matter.

News reports suggest that Tsui did several things upsetting to the powers-that-be in Hong Kong and Beijing. One big blunder was to hint that the vice-premier's visit wasn't initiated by the university. Others were to criticize the police and his numerous apologies.

Many people can't understand how Leong handled Tsui's decision not to seek another term. Although the matter was discussed at the October 25th council meeting, it wasn't on the agenda and not all council members attended. It's amazing that an important matter was handled in such a disastrous way. One can't help asking, “What's going on at HKU?”

Some press reports said Leong had met Tsui and indicated that any desire for another term wouldn't gain support. Getting the message, Tsui submitted the letter saying he would step down. Leong has denied this version of events, but when asked if he urged Tsui to stay on, he didn't reply. Leong also said that a vice-chancellor should show political sensitivity and tact. So what political mistake did Tsui make?

The answer appears in a China Daily article saying that the vice-chancellor should stop panicking and apologizing to a small bunch of frantic protesters. The vice-premier was his honored guest. Security for this national leader should have been Tsui's primary concern, and the police were there to help him. The article suggested that HKU owes an apology to the hard-working people in uniform who got blamed for doing a good job.

Selecting a new vice-chancellor usually takes more than a year, so why did Tsui announce his decision 10 months before his contract expires? Some people say he had indicated interest in another term. What made him change his mind?

Tsui's departure is a serious matter. Some students want to conduct a referendum on what the students and staff think. HKU also must find out if political pressure forced Tsui out. Was it an attempt to send a signal to the leaders of other universities to be more politically sensitive? As the Chinese saying goes, was it “killing the chicken to scare the monkey"?

Universities' institutional autonomy, academic freedom and freedom of expression are issues near the hearts of many Hong Kong people. They are values at the core of “one country, two systems” and need vigorous defending. I hope that HKU's staff, students and alumni will get to the bottom of this disgraceful saga.

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