'Lack Of Consultation Over CUHK's New Emblem'

Legislator Priscilla Leung on Tuesday criticised the Chinese University (CUHK), saying it failed to consult the public about a decision to change its emblem to mark its 60th anniversary.

The Business and Professionals Alliance lawmaker's comment came a day after several legislators who serve on CUHK's council said they were not consulted ahead of the announcement.

The university had earlier claimed that it had sought the advice of 2,200 stakeholders on the matter.

But Leung, who's also a CUHK alumnus, said she's disappointed that she had not been approached, adding that more parties should be consulted over the issue.

"It's not a very minor matter for the university. From my own point of view, it's even more important than changes of personnel at the university. We see that apart from the council, the alumni and many of the stakeholders are completely unaware of the change. So it seems that there's a lack of consultation to the stakeholders of the university which should include alumni of different generations," she said.

On Monday, the university wrote in a statement that the new emblem would have a pure purple background instead of split colours, in order to provide "a clearer, more distinctive and dynamic look of the mythical Chinese phoenix".

It will also introduce a simplified logo for digital use, removing its motto, "through learning and temperance to virtue", originally placed at the bottom of the emblem.

Leung said she and many other alumni were frustrated by the dropping of the university's motto in the simplified version of the emblem, as the motto reflects the "soul and spirit" of the university.

Leung, who is chairwoman of Legco's panel on education, added that the incident highlights the need to amend the CUHK Ordinance, to hold the publicly-funded university more accountable.