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Letters | With ‘caring Carrie’ image badly dented, here’s what Hong Kong’s top leader can do to win back hearts
- It is quite ironic that Lam has spoken recently about the danger of ‘elitism’ in Hong Kong society, when she could be seen as the very epitome of it
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Despite coming into office on a firm promise to improve livelihood issues, and giving the appearance of someone caring and capable of listening to the genuine concerns of the people of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is becoming, in my view, more draconian than her predecessor, Leung Chun-ying.
While she seems to have successfully seen off all dissenting voices in terms of declining democratic freedoms, the people do, however, have expectations of a government that seeks to improve their lives. I believe that Mrs Lam has failed lamentably in this respect.
I find it quite ironic that she has spoken recently about the danger of “elitism” in Hong Kong society but she is the very epitome of it. This is a person who has led a cocooned and privileged life compared to many and who, during her campaign to become chief executive, didn’t realise you couldn't buy toilet paper in a 7-Eleven store; had no idea how to use an Octopus card; and thought giving HK$500 to a beggar was an expression of her compassion for the less fortunate – a PR exercise that badly backfired.
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I believe, like me, a growing number of people are no longer fooled by what appears increasingly to be a person with “an iron fist in a velvet glove” and completely out of touch with reality.
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