Rita Fan: Criticism of Lam unfair
Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, expressed concerns about unfair comments leveled at Chief Executive aspirant Carrie Lam Cheng Yuetngor. This was after she was endorsed by some leaders close to the central government.
The only Hong Kong deputy in the nation’s top legislature hopes people will be rational when assessing the three candidates in the CE race. She said they should not oppose someone for the sake of it.
“For instance, after Lam said she will continue some of the good policies implemented by incumbent CE Leung Chun-ying if elected, some members from the opposition camp twisted her words into continuing Leung’s controversial governing style,” explained Fan. “This is unfair to a candidate in an el e c t i o n ,” Fan added.
Sh e made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions in Beijing and two weeks before the CE election on March 26.
The next Chief Executive must heal divisions, unite society and lead Hong Kong to greater future development, Fan said during an interview with China Daily.
She compared the ongoing election campaign with the previous one. “At least Lam has succeeded in uniting most of the pro-establishment camp,” Fan added.
Lam, former chief secretary for administration, secured 580 nomination votes from various sectors in the 1,194-strong Election Committee, which is responsible for choosing the city’s leader.
Fan said Lam had created opportunities for people of different persuasions to exchange ideas.
Fan hoped the CE hopeful can offer more opportunities for people across the political spectrum to communicate. “Only by knowing each other’s concerns and difficulties can Hong Kong find common ground and understanding to solve more social problems,” Fan said.
Lam, in her election campaign, said that if elected, she would build a communication mechanism between the government and parties across the political spectrum.
Fan admitted society has become more polarized during the past four years. Healing rifts may take time — maybe another four years, said Fan. She hoped the public could give more time to the new CE to resolve this.
Fan noted that winning the election is only the first step. The next CE must unite society and help the city seize the huge opportunities brought about by the country’s development, Fan stressed.
She said Hong Kong could not afford to miss getting on the “fast train” of the mainland economy.