'...there is a place reserved for me in heaven..' Chief secretary Carrie Lam raises eyebrows invoking holy scripture
Chief secretary recalls enduring criticism for 'doing what is right', but some not so sure
Questions about Hong Kong's governance were raised yesterday after the city's No2 official said she believed she "has a place reserved in heaven" for enduring criticism for doing what is right.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, a Catholic, made the comment as she officiated at the opening ceremony of Caritas' annual bazaar.
"I attended a mass this morning, and it talked about the Eight Beatitudes," Lam said.
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"Some people have told me that the last of the eight fits me very much: It says, 'Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake,' because there is a place reserved for me in heaven. In fact, nowadays, as you work in the government, you are often criticised for doing what is just."
Lam made the comment, which won her a round of applause, after Cardinal John Tong Hon's speech, in which the bishop praised Lam's character.
"Lam has persevered and never given up [in the face of challenges] … She set a good example for us," Tong said.
Jackie Hung Ling-yu, project officer of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, had reservations about Lam's remarks.
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"It is only for the Lord to judge who has a place in heaven and who doesn't … so while an official can comment on his or her own work, the people might have a different judgment," Hung said.
Chinese University political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung said Lam's comments could backfire. "I don't think she has really been doing something very just recently, and the criticism she faces is also relatively lenient compared with other [government] ministers … She has to be careful when she mentions religion," Choy said.
Lam's remarks came two weeks after she said she was prepared to endure personal attacks for ordering officials not to be pressured into drinking possibly contaminated water from estates where excessive levels of lead were found.
"I have the guts to take the risk of being criticised when I seek justice for our diligent civil servants," she said on October 16.
