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Leung Chun-ying (CY Leung)
Opinion

Leung Chun-ying adds to Hong Kong’s burden with his legacy of mistrust and division

Alice Wu says the problem of having a chief executive who pledged to rebuild community ties while doing a good job of destroying them will continue to haunt us long after his tenure ends

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Leung Chun-ying has proved that a divisive figure who aims to build bridges is, in the end, a contradiction and a delusion. Photo: Bloomberg
Alice Wu
There are less than three months left in the Leung Chun-ying administration, but it will take a lot more time to deal with its aftermath.

On top of the deep-rooted social problems that persist, we will also have to deal with the more challenging problems of Leung’s legacy, first and foremost the problem of “political dissonance”.

While campaigning, Leung sold himself as the everyman candidate. He wore his humble beginnings as a badge of honour, and ran with a “solemn” pledge to uphold the rule of law, improve governance and promote democracy.

How does Hong Kong’s chief executive fail the test of sincerity? Let us count the ways...

As chief-executive elect, he told Time magazine that community building and bridging divides were his priority. Yet, at the height of the Umbrella Movement pro-democracy protests, he made known his open contempt for democracy and the poor. In an interview with foreign media, the would-be community-builder said: “If it’s entirely a numbers game ... then obviously you’d be talking to half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 a month. Then you would end up with that kind of politics and policies.” This is the sort of dissonance Leung has given us.
A divisive figure, by their nature, cannot build bridges
Let the record show that this was the sort of “goodwill” Leung showed ahead of his government’s talk with student protest leaders. Unfathomable as it may be, “I have promised to be a ‘chief executive for the people’” is still up on his office’s website.
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Leung has proved that a divisive figure who aims to build bridges is, in the end, a contradiction and a delusion. A divisive figure, by their nature, cannot build bridges. One simply cannot build a community – which means bringing people from different social strata together – if one clearly despises a whole segment of people who earn less than HK$14,000. A divisive figure even in the pro-establishment camp, he has made moderation irrelevant in a polarised political environment.

Some may have questioned the hate that permeates the “ABC” (Anyone But CY) faction but, to be fair, Leung has done little to discourage it. “Hate” is a strong word, but the ill-will his opponents have shown has been fully returned by Leung. The disaffection is mutual.

CY Leung has made many enemies, but they might miss him when he’s gone

Police officers stand guard after protesters reoccupied Nathan Road in Mong Kok in October 2014, during the Occupy Central protest movement. Insultingly, the community spirit – the sense of common fate and common destiny – that Leung Chun-ying had once hoped to build did indeed occur: on the streets of Central, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang
Police officers stand guard after protesters reoccupied Nathan Road in Mong Kok in October 2014, during the Occupy Central protest movement. Insultingly, the community spirit – the sense of common fate and common destiny – that Leung Chun-ying had once hoped to build did indeed occur: on the streets of Central, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang
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