Carrie Lam says she does not like creating social conflicts and will not take Hong Kong down authoritarian path
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed on Saturday suggestions that the city had entered an “era of authoritarian rule of law” as she claimed she was not a fan of stirring up conflict.
She was responding to comments made by pan-democrats after the Court of Appeal jailed young activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Alex Chow Yong-kang and Nathan Law Kwun-chung for six to eight months over the storming of a government headquarters compound that led to the 79-day Occupy sit-ins in 2014.
In another development, the Court of Final Appeal on Friday rejected the final bid by disqualified pro-independence lawmakers Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang and Yau Wai-ching to be reinstated in the Legislative Council.
“I am not a person who likes to create social conflicts … Some people worry that [the city] has entered the so-called ‘authoritarian rule of law era’ and that the SAR government will make use of the legal system to oppress or divide society, ” Lam said as she left on a visit to the northern mainland city of Tianjin on Saturday.
“I have to stress clearly that this is neither going to happen nor is it my direction of governance.”
On an earlier radio show, Executive Council convenor Bernard Chan was asked if he agreed that the city had become authoritarian.
