London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 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
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×