Hong Kong chief secretary Carrie Lam says she won’t become another Anson Chan
Asked if she would take lead role in civil campaigns after retirement, city’s No 2 official replies: ‘Certainly not’
Hong Kong’s chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she would not become another Anson Chan Fang On-sang, who has not shied away from throwing brickbats from the sidelines after leaving the civil service.
Hong Kong’s sitting No 2 government official made the remark before the city’s media yesterday during the last day of her visit to Sichuan province.
Asked if she would become another Anson Chan after retirement by taking a lead role in civil campaigns, she shook her head and said: “Certainly not.”
Chan served as chief secretary during the administration of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, but quit in 2001 amid speculation she did not get along well with him.
Since then, she has been a vocal critic of the administration and met local politicians during visits to Britain and the United States, articulating her unhappiness with the Hong Kong authorities.
She and Lam have appeared to have been at odds since 2013, when Chan asked Lam to step down if Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying continued to neglect her. Chan believed Lam was “not trusted” by Leung.
In an address during a visit to Britain last year, Chan said she would likely have quit if she were Lam, warning the chief secretary she could lose credibility if she continued to “toe Beijing’s line”.
Lam denied Chan’s assertion.
At yesterday's press session, Lam was asked whether she entertained hopes of becoming the city’s next chief executive.
Of course, there were times that the implementation of policies was not as smooth as expected. But I hope the public could appreciate the achievements made by our policies.
“I am proud of having served the government for 36 years,” she replied. “Over the years, I have done my best and spared no effort in my work in various positions.
“Of course, there were times when the implementation of policies was not as smooth as expected. But I hope the public could appreciate the achievements made by our policies.
Lam had earlier said she would be retiring at the end of her term next year and had no interest in pursuing higher office.
She added that the Leung administration had done a lot of work to improve people’s livelihood and, in some areas, had done more than what it promised.
She cited government spending on social welfare, which had jumped 55 per cent since 2012.
Lam was leading a delegation to Sichuan to inspect the Hong Kong authorities’ work in helping reconstruction efforts in Wenchuan county, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2008.
