London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
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

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×