HK’s largest party pledges support for Lam

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the city’s biggest political party, reinforced its support for Chief Executive hopeful Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor after a meeting on Tuesday.

The party’s support could help Lam secure more than 100 votes in the Chief Executive election on Sunday.

DAB Chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king stressed that the party preferred Lam because she had led the city’s civil servants in addressing many complicated social and political issues.

Lam’s election platform was also the “most concrete” one among all contenders, Lee said.

The party scheduled a central committee meeting on Friday to discuss its voting strategy. This included wheth- er to vote as a bloc, Lee said.

Other members of the Election Committee (EC) — a 1,194strong electoral college to choose Hong Kong’s head of government — have also voiced their preferences.

Also on Tuesday, the city’s gambling magnate, founder and chairman of Galaxy Entertainment Group and K. Wah International Holdings — Lui Che-woo — said he would vote for Lam because of her “dedication and pragmatism”.

Lui believed the Hong Kong government would do its best to work for Hong Kong’s economic stability and hoped everyone would have confidence in it.

He also hopes the government will release more land supply and help young people buy their first flats.

Chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk — the city’s statutory advisory body representing indigenous people in the New Territories — Kenneth Lau Ip-keung said the organization would not change its decision on the voting day. The body, which has 27 seats in the EC, had made all its nominations for Lam.

Lau hopes Lam will uphold the special administrative region’s Basic Law and protect the interests of people in the New Territories.

Having secured support mainly from the pro-establishment camp, Lam hoped to gar- ner more votes from the “pandemocrats” in the coming days. She said she understood some members from the camp turned down her election platform because they had different political views.

Lam said she hopes both sides can foster mutual trust.

Inclusiveness would be the top priority in Hong Kong’s future decision-making procedures, Lam pledged.

It included absorbing talented people with different political views into policy committees and her administration if elected, she added.

Enhancing relations with the city’s “pan-democratic” camp in the legislature was also vital, Lam said.

She stressed that the moves were part of her “new style of governance”.

Also competing for the city’s top job are former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing.