CUHK reform a done deal

Legislators overwhelmingly passed a private bill yesterday to reform the governing council of Chinese University by downsizing the body and introducing more outside members.

Seventy-six lawmakers backed the bill with three abstentions. The three who baulked were Tik Chi-yuen for the social welfare sector, Zhang Xinyu representing New Territories North and Kenneth Lau Ip-keung of the Heung Yee Kuk.

Bills committee chair Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, a member of the Business and Professionals Alliance, said her party had reached a consensus to support the bill and she had no idea why partymate Lau abstained.

As for Lau, he grinned as he left the legislative chambers later and said: "I will answer the question at a later time."

The amendment, tabled by three legislators who are on the university's council - Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, Edward Lau Kwok-fan and Bill Tang Ka-piu - will cut membership from 55 to 34. That will lead to external members taking up two-thirds of seats, with the remaining third filled by members from within the university.

External and internal members currently share half of the seats.

The amendment also requires a new threshold of appointing the university's president and vice president to 75 percent of the council members' votes.

Leung said in yesterday's session that there were voices against the amendment.

"But the Basic Law stipulates that it is necessary for subsidized universities to report to the Legislative Council regarding its governance - the same as other public institutions," she said.

"As a university professor I treasure academic freedom and management autonomy given to universities, but the quality of governance should be in line with public expectations."

Cheung noted that more than half of CUHK council members are from within the university, so its management held powers without any checks and balances.

Reform would be too late to power up the university's research and academic results, Cheung said. CUHK's latest QS World University Ranking is 38th, up from 39.

Cheung also said he would not criticize CUHK president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, who was absent for all three bills committee meetings.

"But I hope he will reflect on whether or not he should act against the Legislative Council. Without Legco's support will the university's way forward be so smooth?"

The reform proposal had prompted an earlier petition against it, which was signed by at least 1,300 alumni.

But Cheung said only a small group of alumni were in fact against the reform, and many supporters stayed silent.

Edward Lau said he used to be proud of CUHK. "I am saddened when Chinese University is called the riot university, the university's president is called a dog and the university's emblem has been changed from a phoenix into a pheasant in recent years," Lau said.

"The reform is just a task that is yet to be done as Chinese University is the only university yet to reform in accordance with suggestions made by the University Grants Committee."

Tang said the university "is like a shop infested with rats but with valuable porcelain. As people are shouting for autonomy in university management it would be the same as allowing them to do damage due to the fear of breaking the porcelain."

However, the single non-establishment-backing legislator, Tik, said it is common for a university to deal with its business based on consensus, and the original intent of the amendment was to push the university's sustainable development.

But the amendment had not reached a consensus among the council members, alumni, teachers and students, Tik said. "This might cause controversies and trust issues in the future."

The council issued a statement welcoming the passage of the bill, saying it was "an important step to improve the governance of the university."

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com