HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday she would resign after five difficult years marked by huge protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that quashed dissent and most recently a COVID-19 19 wave, not seeking a second term that has overwhelmed the healthcare system.
Her successor will be elected in May, and the city’s security chief during the 2019 protests is among the possible candidates.
“I will end my five-year term as chief executive officer on June 30 of this year, and I will also end my 42 years of public service,” Lam said at a news conference. Thanking her team of local officials and central authorities in Beijing, she said she plans to spend more time with family, which is her “only consideration”.
There had been speculation for months whether she would seek another term, but she said her decision was conveyed to the central government in Beijing last year and was met with “respect and understanding”.
“Less than two years into my tenure as chief executive, I was under a lot of pressure due to the anti-extradition law and interference from foreign forces and the onslaught of COVID-19,” Lam said. “However, the motivation for me to continue was the very strong support from the central authorities behind me.”
She oversaw a period in which Beijing consolidated control of the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997. For years, the city has vacillated between calls for more freedom and growing signs that China is expanding its reach into the city. even after Hong Kong was promised the freedom to govern itself semi-autonomously from the mainland for 50 years.
Lam’s popularity fell sharply during her five-year tenure, particularly because of legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial and later because of her leadership during the 2019 protests. The mass demonstrations were at times marked by violent clashes between police and demonstrators. Authorities insisted that foreign interference is fueling the movement and not organic local activism, while protesters denounced the police actions as excessive and said the violence and inflammatory claims were attempts to undermine the cause of democracy.
She also strongly supported the Beijing-initiated and her government-implemented national security law, which was seen as eroding the “one country, two systems” framework which, after it was handed over by Britain, promised city dwellers would retain freedoms they enjoyed on the mainland China do not find such as free press and freedom of speech.
The security law and other police and judicial actions in the years since have virtually wiped out the city’s pro-democracy movement, with activists and supporters of the movement being either arrested or imprisoned. Others have fled into exile.
Hong Kong media say John Lee, the city’s second most senior leader, is likely to enter the race to succeed Lam. Secretary-General Lee served as the city’s security chief during the 2019 protests and is known for his support for police during the protests and his tough stance on protesters.
Hong Kong’s leader is elected by a committee made up of lawmakers, representatives from various industries and professions, and pro-Beijing representatives such as Hong Kong MPs in China’s legislature. One of the unmet demands of the 2019 protests was the direct election of the mayor.
The chief executive election was scheduled for March 27 but was pushed back to May 8 as the city suffers its worst coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic.
Lam said going ahead with the polls as initially planned would pose a “public health risk” even if a committee of just 1,462 people were involved.
Hong Kong has reported nearly 1.2 million cases, 99% of them during the fifth wave, caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. It has put a strain on the healthcare system, with hospitals placing patients on outdoor beds at times. Nearly 8,000 people have died in the recent outbreak, and busy morgues have used reefer containers to temporarily store bodies.
The Lam government has been widely criticized for its flip-flop policy, including mixed news in February and March on whether a lockdown and mandatory mass testing would be implemented. The uncertainty sparked panic among residents, who cleared store shelves to stockpile essentials.
Plans for mandatory mass testing were dropped, and Lam last week urged all residents to test themselves with rapid antigen kits between April 8 and 10. She later said the exercise was voluntary as it could not be enforced.
Lam, 64, previously served as executive secretary and secretary for development and other public service positions. She earned the nickname “good fighter” for her tough attitude and refusal to back down in political battles.
Lam gave up her British citizenship in 2007 when she was appointed Development Secretary. Her husband and two children have retained their British nationality.
___
Soo reported from Singapore. AP writer Ken Moritsugu contributed from Beijing.