Hong Kong leadership race contender Carrie Lam meets Tin Shui Wai community after ‘too tired’ comment

City’s former No 2 discusses public markets and bazaar policy with concern groups

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Chief executive candidate Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has pledged to build more public markets and temporary bazaars. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 3:03pm, 23 Mar 2017Updated: 11:40pm, 23 Mar 2017

The front runner in Hong Kong’s leadership race met with grass-roots concern groups in the city’s far northwest on Thursday after enduring heavy criticism last week when a campaign staffer said she was “too tired” to make the trip.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was received warmly by several elderly residents in Tin Shui Wai. Yet the latest poll by Lingnan University found she was only supported by 25 per cent of respondents across the city. More than 52 per cent of those polled wanted former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah to be the next chief executive.

Lam, the former chief secretary, addressed a claim by lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had probed her role in a deal to build the city’s version of Beijing’s Palace Museum. Lam said there was no way to avoid “unreasonable accusations” in the run-up to the election.

Lam apologised again for the miscommunication over the engagement in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, and pledged to keep visiting communities and reach out to the grass roots if elected.

Prior to yesterday’s visit, concern groups had expressed disappointment over Lam’s no-show. They urged her to improve the livelihood of residents in the area.

The other two chief executive contenders, Tsang and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, had already met the groups in the district. All three have pledged to set up more public markets and temporary bazaars.

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