CCP Can't Be Allowed To Run HKU, Say Court Members

Eleven members of the University of Hong Kong's court have called on the institution's governing body to reconsider the reported appointment of Max Shen as a vice president of the university due to a row over his alleged membership to the Chinese Communist Party.

In a petition posted online, the members said that they were concerned about reports that Shen was a member of the party committee at Tsinghua University’s Industrial Engineering Department.

"The news has caused grave concerns among HKU stakeholders, particularly as the governance structure of universities in Hong Kong differs significantly from that of mainland universities. Here in Hong Kong, there does not exist an echelon of party members who direct the management of universities. This is for the obvious reason of protecting the tradition of academic freedom and institutional autonomy," the post read.

The 11 court members warned that if Shen were to become part of the senior management team at HKU, his background would invite suspicions about “rule by party members”, and that this would threaten academic freedom and undermine the institution's ability to attract top teaching staff and students.

"Should the council choose to ignore the reasonable concerns of stakeholders and proceed with the appointment procedures, it is hurting the long-term interest of the university."

The statement called on the council to reconsider the reported decision on Shen's appointment, and for there to be meetings with students, staff and alumni for Shen to clarify any political affiliations.

The petition came amid reports that Shen has been chosen for the post of vice president for research at HKU, while another mainland professor, Gong Peng who is also from Tsinghua University, is tipped to fill HKU's post of vice president for academic development.

Local media say Shen had been listed as a member of the Communist Party committee at Tsinghua University, until this information was removed recently from the university's website.

The University of Hong Kong's governing council was set to discuss the appointments at a meeting on Tuesday.

Some students on campus told RTHK that they were not concerned about the reported appointments, but others said they were worried about the impact on academic freedom.

Thomas Shum, who is studying for a master's degree in journalism, said the university's governing council should delay the decision so that stakeholders can be given more information.

"The university should be very careful in announcing or even appointing members to its regulatory bodies, precisely at this critical moment in Hong Kong history and time where this is a very politically-charged environment and a very sensitive topic. Students are right to be worried, they are right to voice their opinions, and I just think HKU should be more transparent when they are electing such members of perhaps any political party to a regulatory function," Shum said.

A nursing student told RTHK that she was worried about whether students would still have the freedom to express themselves and criticise the government in future, but said she feels she can't do much to stop the appointments as the university doesn't listen to the students.

Another nursing student echoed similar concerns, saying that freedom of speech has been limited since Zhang Xiang was appointed the university's president and vice chancellor, citing the taking down of a Lennon Wall on campus.

"Many of the professors didn't get their contract renewed, even [if] they didn't do anything wrong, in my point of view," the student added.

But several mainland students approached by RTHK said they didn't see any problem with Shen allegedly having a Communist Party background.

One PhD student, who gave his name as Max, said he was more concerned about the fact that both Shen and Gong had worked at University of California Berkeley, just like the HKU president, and that there could be allegations of cronyism.