Lam 'will need answers' to get second term

Mandy Zheng

Embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor might get a second term as long as she can find the "appropriate answers" to govern the SAR, Sing Tao News Corp chairman Charles Ho Tsu-kwok said.

Ho, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference standing committee, made the comments on a radio program Monday night.

He has had commentaries published in Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister paper, that questioned Lam's governance.

Recently, local news outlets have reported talk among politicians suggesting Beijing would back Lam for reelection once her current term ends in 2022.

Ho compared Lam potentially seeking another term to a student about to take an exam, saying: "I'm sending her questions beforehand so she will know how to answer. Her rivals are bound to ask these questions when she seeks reelection."

"Honestly, I don't intend to pick on her. I have a good heart, and I want her to succeed," Ho said. "As long as she can find the appropriate answers, she will be able to succeed."

Asked if Lam deserved a second term, Ho replied cryptically: "The gods are watching, they have eyes too."

But he added: "Maybe the gods will open one eye and close another to let her get the job, considering that she has made so many contributions to Hong Kong."

Ho also commented on the decision to postpone the Legislative Council elections for a year, saying some Western countries, including the Five Eyes Alliance, used "double standards" to oppose it, adding many nations in the West have also done so.

"If we allow millions of people to join the Legco elections, and some get sick or die because of it, does the West dare take responsibility and give their lives back?" Ho said.