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Alex Lo

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says her administration’s relationship with the legislature has improved and that the people’s business is being done more efficiently.
The chief executive is being a tad disingenuous.
Or perhaps she is being modest instead of boasting about having neutered the opposition.

Certainly, the number of bills passed in the Legislative Council more than doubled from the previous Legco session.
Twenty-six bills passed in the 2017-18 session from last October to July, compared with just 12 in the prior legislative year.
Lam also received the first motion of thanks for her policy address in nine years for a chief executive.
She now faces perhaps the most demoralised opposition since the 1997 return of sovereignty to China.
Hong Kong leader tells ICAC chief to deal with vacant graft-buster post ‘well’
And that’s all thanks to the disqualified localist lawmakers and previous radical legislators for giving the government the perfect excuse as well as public support, or at least tolerance, to launch a crackdown against them and their rioting comrades.
By being ejected from Legco, the six localists made it possible for the government’s legislative allies to rewrite the chamber’s rules and procedures, thereby undermining filibustering and other delaying tactics favoured by the opposition.

It also helps enormously that the current Legco president, Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, is the least independent since 1997.
For Lam, the greatest benefit so far has been the passage of the controversial joint checkpoint arrangement at the West Kowloon terminus for the cross-border express rail link.
Many pundits, including yours truly, had predicted a fierce battle with the opposition over allowing mainland law to apply at the terminus, perhaps even a repeat of the massive rally in 2003 against Article 23 of the Basic Law, which requires Hong Kong to pass national security legislation.
Carrie Lam’s concern for English was lost in translation
Its passage turned out to be relatively smooth sailing, with Leung having capped the length of the debate in the Legco chamber, rejecting most amendments by opposition legislators and kicking a few of them out of crucial meetings.
Though Leung took the fall for Lam by being rounded on by the opposition, he easily survived a vote of no confidence.
Before the Legco coup by the government and the pro-establishment bloc, lawmakers had enjoyed implicit immunity from arrest, at least inside the Legco building.
Now, it’s perfectly acceptable to call in police to investigate lawmakers’ behaviour.
Last week, during a Legco visit, an entourage of security guards stopped a few opposition lawmakers such as James To Kun-sun from entering the chamber until Lam had gone inside and settled down.
Chief executive? More like Empress Lam.


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My Take

How Carrie Lam has become an empress

The chief executive and her allies have effectively taken full control of the legislative process, thanks in part to the incompetence of the opposition.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, right, arrives on stage to speak at the Rise conference in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. The conference runs through July 12. Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg

epa06854205 A handout picture made available by Hong Kong's Information Services Department shows Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, (R), shaking hands with members of the public before the flag-raising ceremony for the anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai in Hong Kong, China, 01 July 2018. Hong Kong marked the 21st anniversary of the Hong Kong handover of sovereignty from Britain to China. EPA-EFE/HONG KONG ISD / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam answering questions at the Legislative Council this month. Photo: K.Y.Cheng/SCMP

Carrie Lam must not lower guard on the city’s housing crisis

Adverts showing the rent of sub-divided flats outside estate agents on Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po. 09AUG17 SCMP / Nora Tam

Residential buildings stand the Mid-Levels area of Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. The U.S. dethroned Hong Kong to retake first place among the world's most competitive economies, thanks to faster economic growth and a supportive atmosphere for scientific and technological innovation, according to annual rankings by the Switzerland-based IMD World Competitiveness Center. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the Legislative Council’s question and answer session this week. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Carrie Lam promises more support for new economy and tech after Hong Kong learns from missed chances

City hopes to bring more tech companies to its capital markets and nurture top talent

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, speaking at the RISE technology conference, said the city hopes to bring more tech companies to Hong Kong’s capital markets and nurture top tech talent. Photo: SCMP

Carrie Lam’s concern for English in Hong Kong was lost in translation, but her heart is in the right place

Chief Executive Carrie Lam meets the media before an Executive Council meeting, at the government headquarters in Admiralty on July 3. Lam’s impatient response to a question from a reporter in English provoked an outcry. Photo: Jonathan Wong

It’s not just Carrie Lam: Hong Kong as a whole seems to have forgotten the importance of English

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam addresses the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on September 11, 2017. Photo: Reuters

CE candidate John Tsang Chun-wah at a press conference on his election platform. YMCA North Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui. 06FEB17 SCMP/ K. Y. Cheng

Over 200 foreign domestic workers graduate from a course (run by Active Global Specialised Caregivers) on elderly care, photographed in Kennedy Town. 24JUN18 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Opinion

The chief executive and her allies have effectively taken full control of the legislative process, thanks in part to the incompetence of the opposition.


The chief executive and her allies have effectively taken full control of the legislative process


Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

How Carrie Lam has become an empress

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The chief executive and her allies have effectively taken full control of the legislative process, thanks in part to the incompetence of the opposition.

The chief executive and her allies have effectively taken full control of the legislative process, thanks in part to the incompetence of the opposition.