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Journalism of Courage
John Lee was on Sunday (May 8) elected the leader of Hong Kong after winning an election held through a closed voting system. Lee, who was the only candidate running for the position, replaced Carrie Lam who had held the post since 2017.
Many criticised Lee’s appointment as the new Chief Executive, stating it was a move by China to increase its influence over Hong Kong.
The 2022 Hong Kong election was held a year after the city’s electoral system was reformed. The new rules paved the way for China’s ruling Communist Party to appoint more lawmakers to the election committee, reducing the share elected by the public and eliminating opposition voices. It also increased the number of members of the committee from 300 to 1,500.
So, in Sunday’s election, held through a secret ballot, the 1,500 members who voted were largely pro-Beijing supporters. The central government brought this voting system to ensure only “patriots” held the position of the chief executive.
The only difference in this election was that there was only one candidate — John Lee. He garnered more than 99 per cent of the votes, the highest obtained by anyone so far.
On winning, Lee said, “It is my duty to let people understand what I can do for them. But I do understand there will be a time that is needed for me to convince the people, but I can do that by action so that when they see results, they somehow will know he is trying his best. By accumulating successes… then I can get them (to) be convinced that what I am trying to do is for the best of Hong Kong.”
Lee will be sworn in on July 1, 2022, which is also the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong being returned to China by the British.
Lee, 64, has long been known as a pro-Beijing supporter. He has been a law enforcement agent since 1977, when he joined the police force at the age of 20. He rose to the position of Deputy Commissioner – the second-most prominent position in the Hong Kong Police Force – in 2010. He was then appointed Under Secretary of Security in 2012, after which he was promoted to Secretary of Security in 2017.
It was as Secretary of Security that Lee played a significant role in advocating the 2019 Extradition Bill that allowed for fugitives to be extradited to China, as well as Taiwan and Macau. The bill sparked months of protests in Hong Kong, during which the police under Lee were criticised for using water cannons, tear gas and ammunition.
Lee had defended the police action, claiming protestors resorted to “terrorism” and “extremism”.
In 2020, Lee backed the controversial National Security Law passed by China and instantly made it a part of Hong Kong’s legal system. The law listed secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, as offences. This law, too, led to months-long protests that turned violent.
As a member of the committee which looks over matters related to the national security law, Lee played an important role in its implementation. Due to this, he was subjected to sanctions by the United States and was even blocked by YouTube in 2022 for his election campaign. He believed the law would help Hong Kong restore stability from “chaos”.
In fact, on the day of the election result, Lee said, “Having restored order from chaos, it is high time that Hong Kong starts a new chapter of development, a chapter that will be geared toward greater prosperity for all.”
A survey conducted in Hong Kong in March showed Lee’s popularity has dipped to 34.8 per cent in 2022 from 38 per cent in 2021.
Lee has made it clear he will ensure much closer ties between Hong Kong and China. Even while launching his election manifesto in April, Lee said it was important that Hong Kong works closely with economically-significant Chinese cities.
Lee supports many controversial bills that have been long pending because of widespread protests. These bills are expected to be back in talks to be passed.
He has openly talked about bringing a law against fake news. Many journalists and news organisations are against this as they believe it will make it extremely difficult for independent and small media organisations to operate.
Further, Lee’s appointment comes at a time when the city has been subject to one of the world’s worst pandemic restrictions, impacting its economy and leading to a rise in unemployment.
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Lee’s appointment has been condemned by the European Union. In a statement, the bloc said, “The EU calls on Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to abide by their national and international commitments, notably the ultimate aim of electing the Chief Executive and members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage.”
“The European Union regrets this violation of democratic principles and political pluralism and sees this selection process as yet another step in the dismantling of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle,” it added.
