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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor described herself as an administrator who does not understand politics in a television interview and said she could not have predicted the confusion that emerged last year in the wake of her doomed project. of extradition law.
During a detailed conversation with Phoenix Satellite Television, the executive director also said that it was her duty to uphold the principle of “one country, two systems” under which Hong Kong is governed, adding that her family trusted her 100% because ” they know what I’m doing well ”.
The bill was sparked by the case of Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong man wanted in Taiwan on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing in Taipei in February 2018.
Since there was no extradition agreement between the two places, Hong Kong was unable to send Chan back to Taiwan.
The case was cited as one of the main reasons for pushing for legislation that would have allowed the suspects to be sent to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong lacked an extradition agreement, including mainland China.
It was finally shelved in September last year, but the protests against it turned into months of social unrest and violent clashes between radicals and police.
“I really didn’t expect it, because I don’t consider myself a person who understands politics very well, I’m an administrator,” Lam said, when asked if she ever expected Hong Kong politics to be so complex in her role. as CEO.
“But from now on, Hong Kong needs to have good government, which is inseparable from politics.”
He went on to tell Sally Wu Xiaoli, host and deputy director of Phoenix Satellite Television, a Hong Kong-based channel serving mainland Chinese audiences, that she had the full backing of her family.
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“They have no interest in local politics and they have 100% confidence in me,” he said. “They know that what I’m doing is good, so they stand firm to support me.
“My son once told me: ‘Mom, I shouldn’t have let you run for election so you wouldn’t have to endure all this pain.’
Since Beijing imposed its national security law in Hong Kong on June 30, international pressure has increased on Lam. But while critics say the law could be used to stifle dissent and undermine freedoms in the city, the executive director has insisted the new law has restored calm.
“It brought back the Hong Kong that we were once familiar with,” he said.
Executive Director Carrie Lam is interviewed by Phoenix Satellite Television host Sally Wu. Photo: Brochure
Aside from political tensions, Lam’s honorary fellowship from Wolfson College at Cambridge University was also called into question over concerns with his role in national security law.
Lam said she had severed ties with the institution and accused it of peddling unsubstantiated allegations about her.
Faced with a severe economic recession while battling a third wave of coronavirus infections, Lam said in the interview that her political speech in October would focus on trust as a theme.
“I always said that we must be strong together and fight the epidemic with confidence,” Lam said. “If people lose confidence in this place, it will be difficult to regain their motivation.”
The pre-recorded interview will air in two parts, on Friday and September 4.
This article, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam admits to being caught off guard by the protests: ‘I am an administrator who does not understand politics’ first appeared in the South China Morning Post
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