Hong Kong’s leader has personally stepped in to help end infighting at the city’s oldest university over a surprise management reshuffle, meeting separately with the institution’s head and council chairwoman at the centre of the dispute “more than once”, the Post has learned.
A government source familiar with the matter revealed on Monday that “setting up a task force” was being considered to look thoroughly into the conflict between HKU president Xiang Zhang and council chairwoman Priscilla Wong Pui-sze. It would also work to resolve governance issues and improve communications among university executives in the long run.
“Regardless of the eventual task force composition, the message is clear: The escalating infighting has to stop. It must not be snowballed to harm the university’s reputation,” the insider said.
It added the private exchanges initiated by Lee, who also serves as the university’s chancellor, were part of the ongoing government efforts to “put an end to the infighting” among the university’s senior management.
Another source said that Lee’s meetings with Zhang and Wong were held in a bid to reducing recent tensions, which could potentially harm the university’s reputation.
“Lee met them separately more than once in the past few weeks,” the source said. “What has been leaked out recently does not reflect the full picture.”
The Post understands that former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who appointed Wong to the role, also attempted to settle the dispute.
Lee earlier tasked the Education Bureau with looking into the matter, as he highlighted that the public had high expectations of the governance of HKU.
Tensions between Zhang and the council broke out as early as last year when the president was accused of misconduct and mismanagement.
An internal panel set up by the council to investigate the matter ultimately cleared Zhang of the wrongdoings in April.
However, a series of internal communications seen by the Post showed Zhang was asked by the council secretary to explain his near complete absence from academic board meetings over the past six years and failure to offer details of 16 business trips spanning almost 147 days. The Post was told that he did not reply.
The latest controversy was sparked after the HKU council met in May and endorsed the appointment of several interim vice-president positions, without consulting Zhang beforehand.
Zhang fought back in an email a few days later, condemning the council for “disregarding the fundamentals of good governance”. He was also seeking legal advice for being kept in the dark.
The drama prompted prominent HKU alumni to weigh in, with former executive councillor Fanny Law Chiu-fun writing a joint letter along with seven others to ask Lee to step in.
They expressed “a loss in confidence” in Wong’s managerial capabilities. They also said they were worried that the perceived marginalisation of Zhang in the appointment decision could undermine the “free and open” reputation of Hong Kong’s higher education sector.
They called for remedies to be taken promptly to prevent negative impact on the sector, which they said was a key contributor to Hong Kong’s competitiveness.
The Post has reached out to Lee’s office and HKU for comment.