Hong Kong’s Leader, Carrie Lam has announced that she would not seek a second term in office after a controversial tenure that has seen many of the territory’s civil freedoms eroded.

On Monday, April 4, 2022, she told reporters she was prioritising her family.

“There’s only one consideration and that is family. I have told everyone before that family is my first priority in terms of my consideration. They think it’s time for me to go home.”
Hong Kong’s Leader, Carrie Lam

Mrs. Lam became Beijing’s handpicked choice for the position of Chief Executive in July 1, 2017. As a bureaucrat with decades of experience, Mrs Lam pledged to tie the formerly British-ruled territory closer to mainland China, despite growing discontent over Beijing’s increased influence. While serving as the Chief Executive, Mrs. Lam oversaw a turbulent period which experienced greater Chinese influence in Hong Kong following massive protests in 2019.

In 2021, another protest, in turn, led to China imposing a series of policies to control Hong Kong and its residents. The most prominent of them is the National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in June 2021. The imposition sought to reduce the city’s autonomy. Mrs. Lam warned protesters not to push Hong Kong into an “abyss” as the rallies grew into a mass democratic movement even after the Bill was withdrawn.

A Long-serving Civil Servant

Mrs. Lam, a Roman Catholic, was born into a working-class family in Hong Kong.

The 63-year-old is often described as a “workaholic”, regularly sleeping just three or four hours a night. She began her career in the Civil Service, joining as a fresh graduate from the University of Hong Kong in 1980. Two years later, she was sent to the University of Cambridge to study for a Diploma in Development Studies. It was during her studies that she also met her husband, the mathematician, Lam Siu-por.

In 2004, Mrs. Lam was appointed as Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, a top role representing the city in the UK. She returned to Hong Kong in 2006 and climbed up the ranks as an unassuming bureaucrat, known for her strong work ethic and drive.

The following year Mrs. Lam gave up her British Nationality in order to serve as Secretary for Development, but her husband and two children retained their British passports.

The First Female Leader

The Former Civil Servant was sworn into office as Chief Executive by Chinese President, Xi Jinping on July 1, 2017, marking the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Beijing.

In her acceptance speech she said: “Hong Kong, our home is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness and has accumulated a lot of frustrations. My priority will be to heal the divide“.

She is reported to never back down in a political battle, as she threatened to resign if she does not get her way. This tough stance has earned her the nickname the “good fighter” . But her election was controversial in Hong Kong where the Chief Executive is not directly elected but chosen by a committee of 1,200 people who are said to represent the city. She was the candidate favoured by Beijing and won with a total of 777 votes, a number that became one of her nicknames.

Lam’s Political Crisis

In the aspect of political crisis, Mrs. Lam’s time in office has been marred by the controversial extradition bill she proposed in 2019.

She argued it was necessary to protect the city against criminals. But many in the territory feared the law could be used to target political opponents of the Chinese State. The Bill triggered months of sometimes violent protests that grew into a broader movement for democracy including universal suffrage, a demand that was at the heart of the city’s earlier 2014 Umbrella Movement.

Mrs. Lam became a lightening rod for the demonstrations with many calling for her resignation. In a leaked audio recording of a private meeting last September 2021, she was heard blaming herself for igniting the political crisis and telling Business Leaders that she would quit if she could. However, she later denied ever offering to resign. Even after the Chief Executive eventually withdrew the Bill, the protests continued.

Beijing also proposed a controversial Security Law for Hong Kong that was swiftly imposed in June 2021. Protesters decried the legislation, calling it the “end of Hong Kong”, and as well, viewing Mrs. Lam as “China’s puppet”. The law also triggered criticism from countries including the US and UK for eroding the freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong when it was returned to China in 1997. But Ms. Lam defended the legislation, saying it was not all “doom and gloom”.

“Compared with the National Security Laws of other countries, it is a rather mild law. Its scope is not as broad as that in other countries and even China.”
Hong Kong’s Leader, Carrie Lam