In spite of repeated clarifications, the Public Opinion Programme (POP) is still under constant attack by some media and commentators. POP today issues the following statements, in order to set the record straight, whether the rumour will stop or not:
The Director of POP has never communicated directly or indirectly with any foreign agent, nor has ever met former Hong Kong Chief Secretary Sir David Robert Ford. After POP’s repeated clarifications, any further news report taking this rumour as a fact should bear its legal responsibility.
POP adopts a sunshine policy on all research collaborations. Provided that a partner accepts the autonomy of POP and agrees to publicize the study, there is no vetting on the background of collaborators. The commentators who attack POP for collaborating with organizations with political backgrounds have chosen to ignore the objectivity and scientific requirements of academic studies, given that the principles adopted by POP have already exceeded normal standards adopted by academic units.
The rider normally carried in POP reports says that their content “does not represent the stand of the University of Hong Kong (HKU)”. This is just common sense, because no researcher or research unit can ever represent the “stand” of its home university. POP is a normal research unit under the Faculty of Social Sciences in HKU. It opeates under HKU’s rules and guidelines, submits regular reports, and goes through regular audits and reviews. The fact that some commentators use other names to refer to POP does not change this fact.
The purpose of POP issuing the above statements is to retain the discussion of academic matters within the academic circle. POP welcomes all discussions on the method and findings of its studies, provided that such discussions are factual, civilized and rational.
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