New Mandala

Over the past week or so a series of potential New Mandala stories have piled up in my inbox. To clear some of the backlog here is an omnibus post of some of the key issues.
Another degree for Lee?
It has come to my attention that the University of North Carolina has also decided to confer an [...]

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Today’s Canberra Times confirms that Lee Kuan Yew’s degree broke ANU rules on honorary degrees:
[ANU Chancellor] Dr Hawke conceded he was personally responsible for nominating Mr Lee for the honour, discussing it with his vice-chancellor Ian Chubb before taking the suggestion straight to council for approval. Under normal circumstances, the nomination would first have been [...]

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I have just returned from the protest outside the degree conferring ceremony for Lee Kuan Yew. About 150 protesters (mostly students) welcomed Lee’s arrival with chants of “Lee Kuan Yew - ANU is not for you”; “No doctorates for dictators”; and “Masters for Mugabe.” The occasional “shame, Chubb, shame” was also heard.
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Protesters were kept well [...]

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Despite the growing public interest, the ANU is maintaining its official silence on Lee Kuan Yew’s honorary Doctor of Laws. Still no mention of the award ceremony on the ANU web site nor any attempt to justify the award in the face of growing criticism. One can only assume that this is a decision that [...]

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[New Mandala has received this contribution from Stephen Dobbs of the University of Western Australia.]Â
It is frankly very disturbing that Australia’s national university would bestow upon Lee Kuan Yew an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. It also seems rather odd that this important visitor and event are not mentioned on the ANU events calendar. Is there [...]

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The ANU seems to be keeping a very low profile on the conferring of an honorary degree on Lee Kuan Yew. A search of the ANU web-site uncovers nothing on the matter except my previous New Mandala post. On the ANU web’s billboard we are advised of such gems as the prohibition of right-turns from Dickson [...]

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Thailand may well be the international centre for honorary degrees (thanks to the prolific honours bestowed on the king) but others are keen to get in on the act. Last week I received the following invitation:
The Chancellor, Dr Allan Hawke, would like to invite the academic staff of the ANU College of Asia and the [...]

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