HK Commentators Say Li's Image Hurt By Degree Controversy
March 23, 2001
Dow Jones Newswires
HK Commentators Say Li's Image Hurt By Degree Controversy
Dow Jones Newswires
HONG KONG (AP)--After Hong Kong Internet tycoon Richard Li acknowledged he never got a Stanford University degree - as his company had claimed - some commentators said Friday his reputation had suffered while others called Li a victim of his celebrity status.
Li sought to place the blame on unnamed employees in his Internet and telephone group, Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCW), but his explanation wasn't detailed and Li's critics weren't buying it.
"The mistake is our staff," Li was quoted as saying in an interview with the International Herald Tribune.
Li insisted that in legal documents, such as those Pacific Century CyberWorks has provided to stock regulators, the company says he was educated at Stanford, but not that he received a degree in computer engineering, as some of the company's public relations materials used to claim.
Li's acknowledgment about the erroneous information was displayed prominently in Hong Kong newspapers, and it became the subject of radio call-in shows.
Many people questioned why Li didn't release the facts on his education until after the news story came out. There has been no claim that Li himself was responsible for the error, but he got an earful from critics nonetheless.
"It's a matter of integrity," said radio host Leung Ka-wing.
Listeners who called in were divided, with some saying Li had been maliciously attacked by the news media and others charging that Li had disappointed the public.
Pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau said Li should further explain how the mistake occurred - even if he didn't mean to mislead the public.
"I don't think we need to jump to any conclusion," said Lau. "But he should explain further on how it got there and whether there was any intention to deceive and mislead."
The flamboyant Chinese-language Apple Daily ran an editorial headlined "Richard Li deceives the public, damages integrity."
"We think Mr. Richard Li has in fact long been deceiving the public and deceiving the shareholders on the education issue," Apple Daily said. "His personal integrity is hence heavily damaged by this."
The rival Sing Pao Daily suggested Li came under attack because of his status as a son of Hong Kong's richest man, the billionaire Li Ka-shing, and over his role as the boss of Pacific Century CyberWorks.
Li has emerged as one of Asia's best-known businessmen after Pacific Century CyberWorks staged the takeover last year of Hong Kong's top telephone company, Cable & Wireless HKT, in a purchase made largely with stock that has since plunged sharply in value.
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