The men who are out to steal a march on Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam

Alice Wu says two of Hong Kong’s former chief executives clearly have it in for the city’s current leader. One is trumpeting his think tank’s own land reclamation plan while the other might be trying to mount a political comeback

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Former chief executives Leung Chun-ying, left, and Tung Chee-hwa drink a toast with Chief Executive Carrie Lam on the 21st anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Photo: Winson Wong

Alice Wu

Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA.

Published: 7:00am, 15 Oct 2018Updated: 7:22am, 15 Oct 2018

At a televised forum after her policy address, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was asked who had put the most pressure on her since she took office last year. Lam, of course, responded with her usual line. She retreated behind her husband, Dr Lam Siu-por, saying he was unhappy at how little time she had for him. But she is clearly under pressure from many other men on many fronts.

Starting with Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s representative on the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, who has repeatedly told Lam to enact Article 23, the national security law.

Tam’s own political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong – which he led as chairman from 2007 to 2015 – suffered its greatest setback in 2003, the one and only time Hong Kong tried to push through a national security bill. Why would he and his party be attempting political suicide again? Chances are someone is prodding him to prod Lam.

Thousands march in Hong Kong on October 1 against suppression by Beijing. A protester carries a flag referring to the controversial Article 23, which requires Hong Kong to enact national security laws. Photo: AP

We shouldn’t discredit conspiracy theorists who have placed Tam in former chief executive Leung Chun-ying’s “deep blue camp”, given that the perception on the political grapevine has been that Lam’s predecessor is planning his comeback and hoping for a second term in 2022.