John Tsang can’t solve Hong Kong’s deeper problems, says key Carrie Lam ally
Campaign chief and executive councillor Chan says city does not need a ‘honeymoon’ leader
Hong Kong does not need a “honeymoon” leader like John Tsang Chun-wah, but someone who can tackle decisively the pressing issues of a widening wealth gap and the impact on people’s livelihood of integration with the mainland, the director of Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s election campaign has said.
And Bernard Chan said political reform – which Tsang has vowed to restart – would be “impossible” before those problems are solved. Despite saying that, he lamented an election system that makes hopefuls run two campaigns – one for small-circle votes and one for popular support – as “exhausting and unfair”.
If she wins, Lam will need to win over the centre ground of people who are neither hard-core sceptics nor loyal supporters of the Communist Party, he said.
Two weeks ahead of the March 26 election, Chan told the Post on Monday that he had originally offered to nominate Tsang, before Lam changed her mind and joined the race.
“In the end I decided to support Carrie because John’s emphasis on respite may not solve the basic livelihood problems,” he said, in a reference to Tsang’s stated intention to cool political strife in the city after a tumultuous few years.