Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam insists election date unchanged despite ‘political’ vandalism of pro-Beijing offices

Chief executive says 150 offices of politicians targeted in attacks that were ‘not an arbitrary expression of anger or revenge’ but had political motives
Lam says she will try to deliver Wednesday’s annual policy address in person despite possibility of protests

Carrie Lam

Tony Cheung

Published: 4:18pm, 15 Oct 2019

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Hong Kong’s beleaguered leader has said the government remains committed to holding next month’s district council elections on time despite vandalism of “more than 150” offices of pro-Beijing politicians in the ongoing social unrest.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also said she remained determined to deliver her policy address at the Legislative Council on Wednesday in person. Lam said her annual speech would this year focus on land and housing issues, and that she would publish a progress report designed to show that the government had delivered “97 per cent” of the initiatives announced in the previous two policy addresses.

Given the mass protests triggered in June by the now-shelved extradition bill, academics have predicted that pro-establishment politicians’ support for the bill would cost them votes in the district council elections.

But with the protests showing no sign of ending, there has been speculation over whether the government would postpone the elections, due to take place on November 24, and disqualify candidates deemed to be supportive of Hong Kong gaining independence from China.

Asked on Tuesday when the government would decide whether to postpone the elections, Lam said: “The government has decided that the election will be held on November 24, so there is no issue of when we are announcing a date for the polls.”

Speaking before a weekly meeting of her cabinet, the Executive Council, Lam said she was concerned that, in addition to vandalism of shops and government offices, protesters had been trashing the district offices of pro-establishment politicians.

“More than 150 offices of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions were destroyed,” she said, referring to two of the largest pro-Beijing groups in Hong Kong.

“I am afraid that these attacks, which targeted politicians of a particular political stance, were not an arbitrary expression of anger or revenge. An election is coming, and I believe that there were political motives behind it.”

Earlier this month, Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, said that if the district council polls could not be held on November 24, they would take place a week later, on December 1.

Lam said on Tuesday the government “will do our utmost to organise a fair, open and honest election”.

Sources have told the South China Morning Post that if the legislature is besieged by protesters on Wednesday, Lam will deliver her policy address via a live feed or pre-recorded video.

The chief executive did not touch on these contingency plans, but said she would try to address the legislature in person and would include in her policy address document a review of previous years’ initiatives.

“We have produced what we called a policy address supplement [which] provides an account of each and every policy area, starting from our philosophy … and then supported by the progress that we have made in the last two years,” Lam said.

“I am happy to say that we have announced some 500 policy initiatives in the last two policy addresses, and … close to 97 per cent of the initiatives have been either completed or [are] in progress.”

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