Hong Kong deputy resigns, tipped for leadership bid

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s number two official Carrie Lam resigned Thursday ahead of what is widely expected to be a bid by the tough pro-Beijing figure to lead the divided city.

Ms. Lam is currently deputy to Hong Kong’s unpopular leader Leung Chunying and rose through the ranks as a career civil servant before taking public office.

The city has become sharply polarized under Mr. Leung, whose term has been marked by anti- Beijing protests. Opponents cast him as a puppet of the Chinese government squeezing the semi- autonomous city’s freedoms.

While Ms. Lam is less hated than Mr. Leung, critics fear she will take a similar hard line if she wins the leadership at elections in March.

Ms. Lam, who has worked in government since 1980, would become the city’s first woman chief executive.

News of her resignation was announced by the government Thursday afternoon in a short statement which said Mr. Leung had received her resignation and had submitted it to Beijing. Ms. Lam is yet to comment.

Political analysts said Ms. Lam was considered by the public to be a capable leader.

“The worry is that her ambition might prompt her to side exclusively with Beijing because that’s where her power comes from,” Willy Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told AFP.

The city leader is chosen by a 1,200-strong committee of representatives of special interest groups, weighted towards Beijing.

Mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014 called for fully free leadership elections but failed to win concessions.

Critics are already accusing Ms. Lam of trying to gain favor with Chinese authorities by pushing through a museum project which would bring historic cultural artifacts to Hong Kong from Beijing’s Palace Museum.

They say the project is cultural brainwashing and accuse Ms. Lam of failing to consult the public on the plans.

Ms. Lam was also vilified by prodemocracy activists during the 2014 rallies for being a Beijing stooge.

The city’s Finance Secretary John Tsang resigned in December and is expected to enter the race soon.

Nicknamed “Mr. Pringles” by local media for his resemblance to the crisp brand’s mascot, Mr. Tsang is seen as a more moderate alternative to Mr. Leung and Ms. Lam.

While Mr. Tsang and Ms. Lam are seen as the strongest contenders, others have already thrown their hats in the ring.

Former Hong Kong security chief Regina Ip, who is loathed by the city’s pro-democracy camp, declared her candidacy last month.

Retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, who has said he will prioritize political reform, has also declared he is running. —