CE hopeful 'bored' of wait for competitors

Internet celebrity Checkley Sin Kwok-lam, the only person who has openly voiced his intention to run in the chief executive race, says he is "getting sleepy" while waiting for competitors and claims he is confident that he will secure sufficient nominations.

Although the nomination period for the election - scheduled for March 27 - does not begin until February 20, Sin said he is getting "sleepy" waiting for his opponents to show up.

Speaking at a luncheon held by the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Sin said that as the only one to have thrown his hat into the ring, he feels like he has already stepped into the arena and is starting to get "bored and sleepy" while waiting for his challengers.

He added that there are many Election Committee members sounding their support for his bid, but it is inconvenient for him to reveal the number. He said he is therefore confident that he will be able to secure sufficient nominations to run in the election.

Sin said he did not contact Beijing officials before going public with his intention to run, as he does not have any means of contacting them to ask for their "blessings."

He added: "As long as I fit the 'patriots administering Hong Kong' principle, I can run in the election. I do not need a name list of who will get Beijing's 'blessings,' and no one contacted me demanding I withdraw from the election."

Sin, who resigned as chairman of listed company National Arts Holdings in 2018, said he can draw similarities between himself and former US president Donald Trump, but added he is a more "positive version of Trump."

"You can say I am similar to Trump, but I am a positive one. I respect him [Trump], he had a lot of passion to win the [presidential] election [in 2017]," Sin said.

"I have learned from him, I have to agree with that, but I have a very different style from him, as I will listen to different opinions," he added.

Sin also brushed off criticism that his bid is just a publicity stunt, arguing that he is already a prominent enough "key opinion leader," and has already accumulated sufficient wealth for a living.

He added that the probability of his winning the election is not his primary concern, as he thinks he should just "do what should be done."

Sin also said many of the things that he advocates were similar to the government's final solution for bringing Hong Kong out of political turmoil, which has strengthened his conviction that his stances are very useful.

While veterans within the political circle have questioned his lack of experience in government administration, Sin argued that today's Hong Kong calls for a change.