Professor behind silent protest at Hong Kong university leaves, but urges colleagues to continue fight for academic freedom as ties to China deepen

Timothy O’Leary talks to the Post about the threat to institutional autonomy at the city’s universities, and why mandatory retirement at 60 is the ‘single worst policy at HKU’

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Professor Timothy O’Leary is leaving the University of Hong Kong and moving to Australia. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 7:01am, 10 Jul 2018Updated: 7:00am, 10 Jul 2018

A liberal academic who initiated the 2015 silent protest in defence of the University of Hong Kong’s institutional autonomy is leaving the school he has served for 17 years.

While Professor Timothy O’Leary, formerly the head of school of humanities at HKU, said he had never faced any pressure from management over his actions, he called on Hongkongers to constantly speak up for the values they treasure, ones he believes will only face greater challenges as the city’s integration into China deepens.

O’Leary, now 51, said his decision to leave was partly fuelled by what he once described to Professor Peter Mathieson, the former vice chancellor of the school, as “the single worst policy in HKU” – mandatory retirement at the age of 60.

HKU students and staff take part in a silent march in 2015 to protest against the university’s decision not to appoint Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun to a pro-vice-chancellor position. Photo: Handout

Staff are allowed to apply for a contract extension, but the length of time granted is often arbitrary and never guaranteed.