National security law: at least 5 out of 8 Hong Kong universities may have no elected student unions amid low participation rate over arrest fears
- Students say they face challenges organising protest-related activities on campus, citing string of cases where members have been disciplined
- Baptist University, CityU, Education University, Lingnan University and HKUST do not have enough students willing to run in polls
At least five out of eight Hong Kong public universities could be left without a popularly elected student union as arrests of leaders over the past year over politically sensitive events have deterred some from joining such bodies.
The handful of students still keen on running for union positions said they felt the national security law was unclear, and they ran the risk of breaching the legislation imposed last June.
Hong Kong’s student unions are known to be vocal on social and political issues, and have played an active role in movements such as the 2019 anti-government protests.
But five varsities – Baptist University, City University, Education University, Lingnan University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) – do not have enough students forming a body, or so-called cabinets, to run in this year’s union elections.
A cabinet comprises a group of students running for different posts, such as president, external or internal vice-presidents and secretary.
Only Chinese University (CUHK) and Polytechnic University (PolyU) have achieved the required minimum – which differs between schools – for one cabinet each, while a single individual is standing for the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) student union executive committee election.
