Election beats consultation, says Carrie Lam

It is preferable that Hong Kong's leader is elected rather than appointed through consultation, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said.

Her response came after her predecessor, Leung Chun-ying, said on Monday the Basic Law allows for the chief executive to be selected through consultation, and the British government could not complain as it would be lawful.

Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting yesterday, Lam said an election is better.

"From the literal meaning of the Basic Law, the chief executive really can be appointed through consultation," she said. "Therefore, I cannot say such a sentiment is against the Basic Law.

"In fact, all of Hong Kong's past chief executives were elected, and I think that it is preferable to elect the chief executive."

The chief executive is selected by the 1,200-member Election Committee as set out in the Basic Law.

"As past chief executives were selected through election, I think we should keep it this way as candidates can explain their electoral platforms during their campaigns," Lam said.

She added that annex I of the Basic Law, which deals with this procedure, would have to be amended if the chief came from a consultation rather than an election.

She also said Beijing has been "very sincere" in pushing for reforms, but she claimed some people here were blocking Hong Kong's democratic progress.

"Recently, the actual situation in Hong Kong is worrying," Lam said. "The SAR might even hamper national security. This could affect the implementation of one country, two systems. It is understandable if the central government has to take action to rectify it.

"The SAR government will of course cooperate with any arrangement," she added, but she did not elaborate.

Lam's comments came on the eve of China's top legislative body opening an unusual three-day additional meeting today.

Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress standing committee, Tam Yiu-chung, said he did not see any issues related to Hong Kong on the agenda.

"Items currently on the agenda are law amendments related to the livelihood of mainland citizens," he said.

"It's true the NPC standing committee does not usually meet in January, but there is a lot of work right now, including drafting and amending laws."

The additional meeting gave rise to speculation that Beijing was mulling changes in Hong Kong's electoral system for selecting the chief executive.

Sources have said the congress would abolish 117 out of 1,200 places on the Election Committee that are held by district councilors after the pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory in 2019.

There were also reports Beijing is considering barring British National (Overseas) passport holders from running for public office or even voting. They would be among ways of retaliating against London's visa scheme for Hongkongers with BNO status.