HK leader apologises for extradition law crisis
HONG KONG: Chief executive Carrie Lam apologised yesterday for the political unrest that has shaken Hong Kong, but the pro-Beijing chief executive refused to cave in to demands for her resignation.
The semi-autonomous territory has been plunged into its biggest crisis in decades, with millions of people taking to the streets to demand the withdrawal of proposed legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
Lam suspended the bill on Saturday after two massive rallies that saw isolated bouts of violence between the police and some protesters.
But that failed to quell public anger, and an even bigger rally on Sunday drew more than two million people, organisers said — more than a quarter of the population.
“I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society,” Lam told a press conference.
“For this, I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong.”
Protesters have demanded that the bill be fully withdrawn, and for Lam to step down and investigate police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters last week.
But Lam gave no indication she was prepared to step down, saying instead she wanted to “continue to work very hard... to meet the aspirations of the Hong Kong people”.
Lam tacitly suggested, however, that the extradition bill was unlikely to be revived given the public sentiment.
“I will not proceed again with this legislative exercise if these fears and anxieties could not be adequately addressed,” she said.
Protest organisers were unmoved by Lam’s latest public statement, and slammed her for failing to address their demands.
“Her attitude is arrogant,” said Jimmy Sham of the Civil Human Rights Front, an umbrella organisation of various groups participating in the protests.
Meanwhile, the Christian hymn Sing Hallelujah to the Lord has emerged as the unlikely anthem of protests here.
Protests around the world often develop their own soundtrack, usually songs with lyrics of defiance and solidarity, aiming to keep crowds energised.
But the hymn taken up in Hong Kong hardly ticks those boxes.
For the past week, the hymn has been heard almost non-stop at the main protest site, in front of the city’s Legislative Council, and at marches and even at tense stand-offs with the police.
It started with a group of Catholic students, who sang several Christian songs at the main protest site, with Sing Hallelujah
to the Lord catching on among the crowd, even though only about 10 per cent of Hong Kong people are Christian.
“This was the one people picked up, as it is easy for people to follow, with a simple message and easy melody,” said Edwin Chow, 19, acting president of the Hong Kong Federation of Catholic Students.
The hymn was composed in 1974 by Linda Stassen-Benjamin in the United States for Easter.
Its five words are repeated over four stanzas in a minor key, which gives it an air of meditative solemnity.
Lam is Catholic and some protesters said they thought their adoption of Sing Hallelujah to the
Lord might have helped sway her.