John Lee needs new image as Hong Kong’s next leader. He is banking on a TV forum, community outreach to help
- Sole candidate for May 8 election lines up series of appearances to show his kinder, caring side
- Young people still unhappy over 2019 protests are one group Lee must reach out to, observers say
Sources said his campaign office was also organising an election rally ahead of the May 8 vote to “raise morale” and show that he had wide support.
But analysts questioned whether Lee, a former chief secretary and security minister, would succeed. While he appeared willing to engage the public and the media, they said, he needed to win over the city’s disenchanted younger generation and business elites.
“Many business leaders may support him nominally as the chief executive candidate, but whether the elite truly trust him and his ministerial team could be another matter,” said political analyst Hui Ching, research director of the Hong Kong Zhi Ming Institute think tank.
Since becoming the only candidate, Lee has met various sectors of the 1,454-strong Election Committee which will decide the next leader, and spent time preparing his manifesto.
On Wednesday, his campaign team posted a message on the candidate’s Facebook page, urging Hongkongers to express their views through the platform, Instagram and WhatsApp. As of Saturday night, the post had attracted 2,300 comments.
An insider from the campaign office said Lee was finalising his manifesto, to be revealed at a press conference on April 28 or 29.