Chris Patten to students: Hong Kong is not a nation state, do not deceive yourself
The city’s former governor pulled no punches in rebuking youth at a university seminar also attended by pro-independence lawmaker Nathan Law and activist Edward Leung
In a surprising move, former governor Chris Patten has waded into the debate about what qualities a “good chief executive” should possess, while also pulling no punches in rebuking students who aspire for independence.
Patten said the chief executive should be a representative of Hong Kong’s people. But when asked to assess Leung Chun-ying’s performance and discuss who should be the city’s next leader, he said: “I wouldn’t dream of interfering in the process.”
He went on to say: “I think a good chief executive in any governing system should listen to a wide group of people and be decisive ... and mobilise consent.
“He should be able to represent Hong Kong to Beijing and the international community, and not be thought to be Beijing’s representative in Hong Kong.”
Patten was speaking to the press after a seminar with students at the University of Hong Kong on Monday.
During the two-hour talk, he took about 13 questions from students, many of whom challenged his views on Hong Kong’s independence. Among them were localist lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, and independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei.