HKU POP SITE releases a column article discussing the proper attitude of intellectuals when they participate in politics Back

Press Release on May 12, 2003

The "HKU POP SITE" (http://hkupop.pori.hk) of the Public Opinion Programme (POP) at the University of Hong Kong today releases in its "POP Column" a bilingual article entitled "Intellectuality Not for Sale". Written by Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of the Public Opinion Programme at HKU, the article mainly discussed the responsibilities and missions borne by intellectuals, and the baseline they must uphold in case they become commentators or politicians.

According to Chung, "the best gentry rules" may be taken in a positive sense to reflect literati's urge to serve the community with all they have learned. There may not be any "yes" or "no" answer to whether scholars should become commentators or politicians, as long as they stick to their conscience and always speak the truth. The article pointed out that intellectuals should adhere to the high-minded and illustrious virtue for protecting the dignity of the intelligentsia: "Unless they (intellectuals) choose to relieve themselves of these titles such that they are no longer an intellectual, they should in no way fawn on the ordinary people by twisting the facts just to trade for their own selfish interests."

This article was invited by Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union. The bilingual version is published concurrently by Tai Hok Tao, while the Chinese version is published concurrently by Hong Kong Economic Journal. The copyright of the article is entirely open, and anyone can re-print it in whole or in part. Please note that everything carried in the POP Site does not represent the stand of the University of Hong Kong. Dr Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme, is responsible for everything posted in the POP Site, except for column articles. The authors of the column articles are responsible for their own writings, while the translators are responsible for their own translations.