ASIA / PACIFIC
April 3, 2017
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5
No surprise: Beijing’s pick, Lam, chosen as Hong Kong’s leader
COMMITTEE ELECTS LAM. Former Hong Kong chief secretary
Carrie Lam waves after winning the chief executive election in Hong Kong.
A committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites chose Hong Kong’s next
leader in the first such vote since huge pro-democracy protests erupted
over the semiautonomous Chinese city’s election system in 2014. Lam
will become the first female leader for the city and its fourth since British
colonial control ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
By Kelvin Chan
The Associated Press
ONG KONG (AP) — The candidate favored by
China’s Communist leadership was chosen as
Hong Kong’s new leader, in the first such vote
since huge pro-democracy protests erupted over the
semiautonomous Chinese city’s election system in
2014.
A committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites selected
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s former No. 2 official, as the
financial hub’s chief executive even though she was far
less popular than her main rival. Lam received 67 percent
of the votes cast by the 1,194-member committee.
Her victory was hardly a surprise. China’s leaders had
lobbied heavily behind the scenes for the 59-year-old Lam,
who will become Hong Kong’s first female leader and its
fourth since British colonial control ended in 1997. After
the votes were counted, she bowed to the crowd and shook
hands with the second-place finisher, former finance
secretary John Tsang.
Some pro-democracy supporters in the official seating
area yelled slogans and held up a yellow umbrella, the
symbol of the 2014 protests, as the results were
announced. The elite election committee was at the root of
the protests, with activists decrying the lack of a direct
choice by Hong Kong’s 3.8 million registered voters.
Democracy supporters called the vote a “fake election”
and blasted Beijing for meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs.
Political party Demosisto, founded by young
pro-democracy protest leader Joshua Wong, said in a
Facebook post that “this result is a nightmare to Hong
Kongers.” It said it would organize “a large civil
disobedience protest” when Lam is sworn in on July 1.
Lam, a lifelong civil servant, has a reputation as an
efficient and pragmatic administrator, but is unpopular
with Hong Kongers because she’s seen as a proxy for
Beijing and out of touch with ordinary people. Tsang, in
contrast, is highly popular because of his easygoing
persona and deft use of social media. He was nicknamed
“Pringles” or “Uncle Chips” in Cantonese for his signature
mustache that drew comparisons to the snack food
mascot.
H
Lam received 777 of the 1,163 validly cast votes. Tsang
got 365 votes, or 31 percent, while the third candidate,
retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, had 21 votes.
As the next leader of the Asian financial center, Lam
will inherit a city roiled by political divisions, including a
burgeoning independence movement, and saddled with
sluggish economic growth. Many fear Beijing is tightening
control and undermining the “one country, two systems”
framework that guarantees Hong Kong a high degree of
autonomy. Those fears have been amplified by several
cases in recent years, including the secret detention on the
mainland of five Hong Kong booksellers and a Chinese
tycoon’s suspected abduction in Hong Kong by mainland
security agents.
Lam’s ability to soothe tensions relies on how much
public support she can gain. She lagged far behind Tsang
in opinion polls.
“My priority will be to heal the divide and to ease the
frustrations and to unite our society to move forward,” she
said at a news conference after the results were
announced.
Lam said she would not immediately revive attempts to
revamp the electoral system, a potential political flash-
point that could rekindle protests by pro-democracy
supporters. She said she wanted to focus on other more
pressing issues such as housing, education, and
healthcare.
“There is a serious divide in Hong Kong, so why don’t we
start with the easier subjects and try to reach consensus”
on how to tackle them, she said.
Lam succeeds current leader Leung Chun-ying, who
cited family reasons when he ruled out a second term.
Political analysts suspect Beijing asked Leung, a highly
polarizing figure, to step aside.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State
Council, China’s Cabinet, said in a statement that Lam
met the standards to be the city’s leader, including “being
trusted by the central government,” a key factor that
Tsang’s opponents repeatedly said he did not enjoy.
When reporters asked Tsang whether he thought
Beijing had interfered in the selection process, he said he
respected the decision of the election committee members.
“I mean, all they have is themselves and their conscience
when they voted. So it’s their responsibility, nobody
else’s,” Tsang said.
Members of the Hong Kong election committee include
tycoons like Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest person.
They represent industry and trade groups such as finance,
accounting, real estate, and textiles. The way the mem-
bers are chosen also irks democracy activists. Some are
elected by peers, but others are uncontested, especially in
sectors most supportive of China’s Communist leaders.
Hong Kong lawmakers, local councillors, and delegates
to China’s rubber-stamp parliament also have votes,
and some 326 seats, mostly in the education, legal, health,
and social-welfare sectors, are held by pro-democracy
supporters.
Associated Press news assistant Henry
Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
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