Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam links Beijing Palace Museum row to leadership bid
City’s No 2 official says controversy has ‘only offered more bullets for critics’, as chosen architect reveals details of plans for Hong Kong Palace Museum
Hong Kong’s No 2 official has for the first time linked the controversy over her museum deal with Beijing to her widely expected bid for the city’s top job, saying the HK$3.5 billion deal had provided more ammunition for her attackers since she hinted last month she would run for chief executive.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor struck a defiant tone yesterday as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, whose board she chairs, launched a public consultation on the design and operation of the Hong Kong Palace Museum.
Lam revealed that it was she who first approached top architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee last May, a month before he started a HK$4.5 million feasibility study on building the museum and exhibition centre complex at the West Kowloon arts hub.
Yim was appointed design consultant in November for Hong Kong’s version of the famed Beijing museum.
The controversy has snowballed into a severe leadership test for Lam since her surprise announcement of the deal with Beijing on December 23. She is facing a political storm over the lack of public consultation and transparency during the decision-making process, and for Yim’s appointment behind closed doors.