Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam during a news conference in Hong Kong on Monday.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday she would not seek a second term after a rocky five years that saw massive protests for her resignation, a security crackdown that has fueled dissent and a recent COVID-19 outbreak. The 19 wave that has overwhelmed the health system. His successor will be chosen in May, with the city’s hard-line security chief seen as a possible alternative during the 2019 protests.
“I will complete my five-year term as chief executive on June 30 this year, and I will also end my 42 years of public service,” Lam told a news conference. The 64-year-old career civil servant said she plans to spend more time with her family, which is her “only idea”. There had been speculation for months whether she would seek another term, and she repeatedly declined to comment on the possibility. But on Monday she said its decision had been conveyed to the central government in Beijing last year and was met with “respect and understanding”.
His time in office will be remembered as a turning point during which Beijing firmly established control over the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997. For years, the city shook back and forth between more freedoms and rising signs. China, while expanding its reach, broke a promise by the mainland government to give Hong Kong the power to rule semi-autonomously for 50 years.
Lam’s popularity declined sharply during his five-year tenure, particularly over legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial and led to his leadership during the 2019 protests. The times were marked by violent clashes. Police and demonstrators. Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing insisted that foreign forces were fueling the movement rather than local activism, while protesters called the police crackdown excessive and said the sedition claims were attempts to undermine pro-democracy causes.
Lam said she had come under a lot of pressure because of the extradition bill, “interference by foreign forces” and the pandemic. According to an accompanying translation by a government interpreter, “However, the impetus for me to move forward was the very staunch support behind me by the central authorities.”
Later, Lam strongly supported national security legislation introduced by Beijing and implemented by his government, which was seen as destroying the “one country, two systems” framework that followed the handover from Britain. Promised that the city’s residents would uphold the freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China. such as free press and freedom of expression. Security laws and other police and court actions have virtually wiped out the city’s pro-democracy movement in the years since, with activists and supporters of the movement either arrested or imprisoned. Others have fled into exile. Lam and the central government in Beijing say their actions have restored stability in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong media reported this week that the city’s number two leader, Chief Secretary John Lee, is likely to be in the race to replace Lam. Lee rose through the ranks as a police officer to become deputy commissioner in 2010, and was the city’s security secretary during the 2019 protests. He is known for his support of the police force during the protests and his tough stand against the protesters. The leader of Hong Kong is elected by a committee made up of pro-Beijing representatives such as parliamentarians, representatives of various industries and businesses, and Hong Kong’s representative in China’s legislature. One of the unfulfilled demands of the 2019 protests was the direct election of the city’s chief executive.
The election for the chief executive was scheduled for March 27 but was postponed until May 8 as the city endures its worst coronavirus outbreak. Lam said that originally scheduling the elections would pose a “public health risk”, even if only a committee of 1,462 people were involved. Hong Kong has reported nearly 1.2 million cases, 99% of them during the wave driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. This has strained the healthcare system, with hospitals often bedridden outside. More than 8,000 people have died in the latest outbreak, and morgues operating at capacity have used refrigerated containers to temporarily store bodies.
Lam’s government has been widely criticized for flip-flopping policies, including mixed messages in February and March about whether lockdowns and mandatory mass testing will be implemented. The uncertainty sparked panic among residents, who cleared store shelves to collect daily necessities. Plans for mandatory mass testing were abandoned, and Lam last week urged all residents to test themselves with rapid antigen kits between April 8 and 10. It later said that the practice was voluntary as it was not possible to implement it.
Lam previously served as chief secretary and secretary for development and other civil service positions. He earned the nickname “the good fighter” for his tough stance and refusal to back down in political battles. Lam renounced his British nationality in 2007 when he was appointed Secretary of Development. Her husband and two children have retained their British nationality.
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