Where were the bigwigs at Hong Kong chief executive candidate John Lee’s manifesto event?
- Chief executive candidate invites 300 representatives from local community and grass-root organisations to attend ceremony, no sign of heavyweights
- Event took place peacefully in less than one hour, stark contrast to when incumbent leader Carrie Lam announced her manifesto amid protest five years ago
For a man who counts many business and pro-Beijing political heavyweights on his 148-strong campaign team and tally of 786 nominators, Hong Kong chief executive candidate John Lee Ka-chiu’s guest list at the unveiling of his manifesto was one that took many by surprise.
Most of the city’s bigwigs were nowhere to be seen at the briefing held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday. Instead, only 300 representatives from the local community and grass-root organisations were invited.
Attendees included Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung and Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan. They took pictures and selfies in front of the blue backdrop that bore Lee’s campaign slogan, with some holding up approving thumbs-ups for the photos.
Lee’s family, including his wife Janet Lam Lai-sim and two sons Gilbert Lee Man-lung and Lee Man-chun, were also conspicuously absent from the ceremony.
Revealing his election manifesto to an audience that featured only lower-income groups and district representatives was Lee’s way of showing he cared about different sectors regardless of their social status, a source from his campaign team said.