Carrie Lam apologizes for pro-establishment camp’s crushing defeat

(10 Dec) The pro-establishment camp suffered a disastrous defeat in the District Council elections. According to Sing Tao Daily News today, Chief Executive Carrie Lam met defeated councilors from the [pro-establishment] Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU). She apologized and promised to appoint them in government organizations like the Commission on Poverty and the Fight Crime Committee. This morning before attending a meeting with the Executive Council, Lam did not deny these rumors upon media inquiry. She stated that the pro-establishment camp’s defeat was directly attributed to the government, thus her apology, which she considered necessary. She also said that the government would continue to cooperate with these political parties.  

While she affirmed the meeting and her promises to HKFTU, Lam did not disclose to media the details of what was discussed. She claimed that many voters disregarded the efficacy of district councilors’ work, casting their ballots to express their grievances against the government instead. Therefore, she felt reasonable to apologise both publicly and privately.  

Lam did not confirm or deny the claim of appointing defeated district councilors. She responded thatthe government would not estrange political parties that have long been serving Hong Kong before losing the elections. She also said that the government would continue to listen and follow up on the concerns of these parties solely as a way to respond to people’s opinions, not as a means of giving these parties any political advantage. 

The media raised questions on whether the government would promise impartiality to the district councils, of which the pro-democracy camp won 17 out of 18 when allocating resources and responding to district matters. Lam replied that the function of district councils, which entails organizing small regional projects and community activities, was clearly stated in the District Councils Ordinance and that this would remain unchanged. She asked for the newly elected district councilors to abide by conventional practices.   

Today is International Human Rights Day. Lam reiterated the government’s continuous effort to safeguard human rights and the freedom of Hong Kong people. The government also announced that its endeavors to protect human rights and maintain the rule of law were publicly recognized. It disapproved of the continuous spread of rumors, “bad mouthing” of Hong Kong overseas and the demands for foreign intervention and sanctions by certain politicians.

Lam stressed that the government was devoted to protecting the rights and freedoms of its citizens as indicated by the Basic Law, Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and other similar international laws. She said the government would safeguard the core values of Hong Kong. She commented that yesterday’s “International Human Rights Day” march initiated by the Civil Human Rights Front was mostly peaceful and orderly and that the police acted with restraint. 

She expressed regret for the presence of makeshift roadblocks, arson, and vandalism and condemned the radical few for setting the Court of Final Appeal and the High Court on fire, jeopardizing the spirit of the rule of law. 

Lam also remarked that criticism of judges on social media was “forcing Hong Kong into a dangerous situation”. Equally distressing for her was that over 40% of more than 6,000 arrestees were students. This amounted to more than 2,000 students, of which over 300 came from secondary school. She pointed out that a teacher was arrested and a bomb was found on a school campus yesterday. She ordered the Secretary for Education to handle the case stringently and called on schools to act in accordance with the letter from the Education Bureau issued last month to stop students from participating in illegal activities and stay away from violence.

Regarding the government’s reconsideration of the need for the Chief Executive’s regular presence in Legco, Lam expressed her respect for the current practice of attending quarterly. 

As for the monthly Q&A sessions that Lam independently proposed earlier to accompany Legco meetings, the endeavor resulted in failure; the first session could not be delivered and the second one was cut short by chaos. Lam said it would not benefit society if her attendance in Legco meetings consistently descended into chaos. However, she also said she has “not entirely given up on the exercise” and would reconsider plans to run monthly Q&A sessions smoothly next year.

Source: HKCNews 

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