Hong Kong No 2 Carrie Lam in veiled attack on finance chief as leadership battle heats up
Chief secretary takes aims at finance chief’s market-driven policies and pledges help for poor, while Regina Ip edges closer to leadership bid and Woo Kwok-hing unveils manifesto
Hong Kong’s No 2 official Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor escalated her thinly-veiled attacks on potential opponent and finance chief John Tsang Chun-wah on Wednesday, taking aim at his market-driven economic policies and pledging to reduce inequality.
Sketching out what could be seen as the early contours of a campaign platform at a closed-door event, Lam struck at the core of Tsang’s philosophy as she called for more action to soften the impact of capitalism.
While both Lam and Tsang are widely expected to face off for the city’s top job, but have yet to formally declare their candidacies, the leadership stakes are heating up with other hopefuls making their moves.
Speaking at the annual gala of Momentum 107, a group of firm believers in small government, Lam highlighted her working knowledge of public finance and dismissed objections to intervention by the administration, such as in setting the minimum wage, saying necessary policies would help alleviate hardship for the grass roots.
The chief secretary, who is “reconsidering” whether to run in the March election after the incumbent chief executive decided not to seek a second term, rolled out her recommendations for the government.
More attention should be devoted to improving the capitalist system
“First and foremost, there should be hope,” she said. “There should be trust that we can do it.”
She called for Hong Kong to continue developing the economy despite competition from neighbouring cities, reduce inequality and provide the grass roots with upward mobility.
“More attention should be devoted to improving the capitalist system,” Lam told the audience, warning of “dislocation, disconnectivity and discontent” should that fail.
“Brexit and the Trump phenomenon showed that feelings of alienation were widespread,” she said, referring to Britain’s planned withdrawal from the European Union and Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory.
Lam insisted she was not a socialist and said it would be impossible under the Basic Law to adopt the mainland’s economic system.
“Constitutionally and economically, I still think a free economy should be maintained and strengthened,” she added.
Lam’s latest offensive came a day after she attacked the financial secretary, criticising a report made by Tsang’s long-term fiscal planning working group, which she said unfairly described ageing as a threat to economic growth that put pressure on government revenue.
Former security minister Ip will formally announce her candidacy and outline her election platform at a gathering at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai today.
Ip said she had told mainland officials of her intention to run but had not got “a red light” so far.
She said she would approach Election Committee members as soon as possible to garner their support and was confident she would be able to get the 150 nominations needed to qualify for the race.
Ip said she had an edge over her possible rivals, be it the financial secretary, the chief secretary or Woo, in that “I am the only one who has gone through a democratic election”.
In the September legislative elections, Ip secured over 60,000 votes, making her the “queen of votes” in the Hong Kong Island constituency.
Ip had planned to run for chief executive in the 2012 election but gave up because she could not get support in the Election Committee. She said at the time that she might consider contesting the chief executive poll in 2017, provided she remained healthy.
“This time, I am confident,” she said.
