Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Hong Kong voters have spoken: Carrie Lam must go

Hong Kong voters have spoken: Carrie Lam must go

If Hong Kong is to start the healing process, it needs a new leadership team. Beijing must make sure that Carrie Lam’s successor addresses protesters’ demands

What we saw in this historic district council election was not just the sweeping victory for the pan-democrats, it was the complete rejection of every established political body that refused to hear the people’s voice.

It is a victory for democracy.

It is also a clear message that Hongkongers cannot be told what to do by force, nor by corruption of the electoral process.

There isn’t and never was a “silent majority” that supported the government.

The healing process will be hard and must start with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and most of the Executive Council resigning immediately after apologising to the people of Hong Kong. This will need to be followed by Beijing heeding the popular call for change and making sure that Lam’s successor addresses the protesters’ four remaining demands.

And to Junius Ho Kwan-yu: karma strikes back!

A responsible leader would have resigned long ago

It is very difficult to see how Chief Executive Carrie Lam can now remain in power. Clearly the public holds her administration’s intransigence and arrogance responsible for the past five months of crisis. Her administration’s desperate attempt to sway voters with an improper and last-minute “Say ‘no’ to violence” call was a total failure.

The leader of most other civilised places would have resigned long ago. Puerto Rico, Bolivia and Lebanon are recent examples, and the mass protests there were not as huge or as sustained as here.

Even dictators like Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania resigned or fled when the writing was on the wall. But Mrs Lam has clung to power only by the brutal tactics of the police, widely condemned here and internationally as thuggish and oppressive.

To cite one example from many, a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, who lived in Hong Kong for 10 years, had choice words to describe our once-respected police force: behaving “like goons”.

During its more than 150 years as a British colony and 22 years with new masters in Beijing, the people of Hong Kong have often been discontented with, and had complaints about, the territory’s appointed leaders. But only now has the population massively turned against them.

The basic, even if passive, consent of the governed – rather than any mandate from some distant capital – is what makes a regime legitimate.



Mrs Lam and every member of the Executive Council should, therefore, take responsibility, exhibit some honour and resign, so that the terrible damage they have brought on the city can begin to be repaired.

If not, China should appoint an interim leader or announce a snap election to restore faith and trust in the local government.

Carrie Lam cannot just carry on

The passion displayed by voters who turned out in massive numbers on November 24 was a shared belief in the future of Hong Kong; it was not a validation of the anarchy that those who oppose Beijing may think it was.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam must resign, as should several members of her Executive Council. Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah should be the first head to roll; her contempt for the law and her ability to be conveniently absent for major legal decisions is completely unacceptable.

Mark Peaker, The Peak

Election turnout shows Hongkongers care

I’ve voted in each election since I became a permanent resident over five years ago, and in the past I was in and out of the polling station in five minutes.

On Sunday, it took me more than 45 minutes from the time I joined the queue outside until I left. Let no one be in any doubt – Hongkongers care. Hongkongers want their voices to be heard. Hongkongers want to have a say in their future.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×