Starry Lee, the cautious accountant battling to impose her authority
When she took over control of Hong Kong’s biggest political party, many saw it as another step towards the city’s top job – but not everyone is convinced by her leadership skills
To many people across the political spectrum, lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king is so considered and cautious she almost lacks personality.
That reputation explains why when the 42-year-old became the first chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong last year it was widely perceived as a strategic step to eventually pave the way to her candidacy for the city’s top job one day.
She had already been appointed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to the city’s top decision-making body in 2012, making her a three-tier councillor of the district, legislative and executive councils.
She ranked second when she ran for one of the five “super” seats in the citywide constituency of the legislature with 277,143 votes.
Lee, an accountant, was the first professional to lead the city’s biggest pro-Beijing force, opening a new chapter for the decades-old party as it extended its reach from the grass roots to the elites and the middle class.
Since she’s quite fresh and there’s a group of veterans in the party, sometimes she can be jittery
Graduating from the University of Science and Technology, Lee launched her political career in 1999 at the age of 25, winning a seat on Kowloon City District Council as an independent and making her the youngest district councillor at the time.