chief-executives-of-hong-kong

"No country will allow its legislative structure, parliament or congress to be filled up by treasonists, foreign agents or proxies of foreign forces. The Hong Kong electoral system must therefore be protected from exploitation and from foreign interference."

"Hong Kong has experienced mobility of people over its history, especially in the last 25 years. This is a thing that we have been living with and coming across regularly."

"If you are genuinely interested in press freedom, you should support actions against people who have unlawfully exploited the media as a tool to pursue their political or personal gains."

"Safeguarding national security is only natural. The US wants to use those so-called sanctions to intimidate [me] – it will not succeed."

"[I]f anyone tries to challenge the Hong Kong National Security Law… it is tantamount to playing with fire and [they] will pay a heavy price…"

"The violent riots that had taken place in Hong Kong since June 2019… had the more profound consequences of ruining people’s law-abidingness and breeding homegrown terrorism."

"We are the access to the mainland market. These are the strengths that will not be replaced by any cities in China or any countries in the world."

"Housing is the key to solve different issues, including poverty and youth development."

"If there is no attack on police, if there is no use of violence, of course there is no need for police to resort to the use of force. You can see petrol bombs being thrown, you can see fire being set, you can see people being dragged out of the car because of opposite views. So, this is sowing the sea of terror which I think police must deal with."

"In Hong Kong, no person is above the law regardless of status, wealth, political power or background. The National Security Law is applied fairly. Enforcement actions and trials are based on facts and evidence. Judgments are made public with elaborate reasoning on decisions."

"One unfortunate fact is that Hong Kong itself has failed to close a loophole in its system which left its door open to national security threats. Despite having reunified with our mother country for over 23 years, Hong Kong has failed to carry out its obligation under the Basic Law Article 23 to legislate to protect national security. This has created a vacuum. Certain external forces have exploited this vacuum to further their political gains at the expense of our national security and Hong Kong's interests."

"I must point out to you that the democratic process of Hong Kong started after China resumed exercising sovereignty. No country has monopoly on the model of democracy."

"I would have this to say – that our primary responsibility is to find the right opportunity and create the necessary conditions for us to put into effect the local legislation, before we need a committee to ensure the legislation is being effectively enforced."

"Some people have told me that the last of the eight [beatitudes] fits me very much: It says, 'Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake,' because there is a place reserved for me in heaven. In fact, nowadays, as you work in the government, you are often criticised for doing what is just."

"If mainstream opinion makes me no longer able to continue the job as chief executive, I’ll resign."

"I don’t want to spend your time, or waste your time, for you to ask me what went wrong, and why it went wrong. But for a Chief Executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable. It’s just unforgivable. If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology, is to step down. So I make a plea to you for your forgiveness."

"A small minority of people do not mind destroying Hong Kong's economy. They have no stake in the society which so many people have helped to build and that's why they resort to all this violence and obstruction, causing huge damage to the economy and to the daily life of the people."

"Nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong."

"There are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the Legislative Council, so I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead."

"We believe the (Hong Kong) government should take the lead (by not wearing surgical mask unless those feeling unwell, working in frontline services or attending crowded places), so we have issued internal guidelines asking all departments to follow this in wearing masks. The goal is to save stocks for medical staff (to deal with patients infected with COVID-19)."

"We can imagine what is possible when we come together in this way by examining the response of Hong Kong’s protest movement to COVID-19. In 2019, a massive anti-government mobilization swept Hong Kong, with people opposing police and seeking greater control over their lives. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, had an 80 percent disapproval rating. Hong Kong’s protest movement had escalated significantly, with protesters coordinating sophisticated mass mobilizations, including the use of bold tactics like fighting police with poles, projectiles, laser pointers, and petrol bombs. Lam was remarkably non-responsive to the pandemic, despite the vulnerable position of Hong Kong, a densely packed city with a history of epidemics and a high-speed railway connection to Wuhan, where the COVID-19 pandemic started. Hong Kong residents criticized Lam for her delay in closing the city’s borders and her order barring city workers from wearing masks. But, despite the government’s failures, the people of Hong Kong, mobilized by the protest movement, launched a response that suppressed the original wave of COVID-19 and mitigated its resurgence...As a result of these efforts by a mobilized and coordinated movement, and no thanks to the government, Hong Kong had an immensely successful response to the first wave of COVID-19. Through the combination of mutual aid and direct action to force concessions, the protesters did what the government would not do on its own, saving untold numbers of lives."

"We are still a model in ways economic and non-economic. When I say things non-economic, I would include governance — and rule of law is a key element. Many, I sincerely believe they tell the truth, say that they still look to Hong Kong for inspiration. (2012)"

"“Unfortunately, there would be no live casting of the game, hence we will have to miss the game.” (2015)"

""I hope anyone, especially Lee Bo himself, can provide relevant information"."

""Before 1997, some people were publicly claiming that they would be put behind bars [after the resumption of Chinese sovereignty], or not be allowed to return if they left. Some people even feared that certain books or magazines would not be read in Hong Kong and that the Chinese government would somehow monitor the Internet. They’ve been proved wrong, and I can prove them wrong again." (2012)"

""People are disenfranchised because they don’t vote, they are disengaged because we don’t talk to them, and we don’t listen, not directly. There is a sense of being disowned, and therefore, there’s a deep sense of distrust between the people and the government, or by the people of government. I want to bridge that gap and I want to re-engage with the people." (2012)"

"I believe that Deng Xiaoping should have been the first Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner, not [political prisoner] Liu Xiaobo. (2010)"

"“Last year was no easy ride for Hong Kong. Our society was rife with differences and conflicts. In the coming year I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep’s character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong’s future.” (2015)"

""So long as it is universal suffrage implemented in that jurisdiction, it is genuine universal suffrage." – on being asked specifically whether Burma and North Korea have genuine universal suffrage. (2015)"

""If it's entirely a numbers game – numeric representation – then obviously you'd be talking to half the people in Hong Kong [that] earn less than US$1,800 a month [the median wage in HK]. You would end up with that kind of politics and policies". (2014)"

""The so-called elite in Hong Kong has what we call 'Central District values", and I think Hong Kong would do a lot better if everyone could just travel out a bit and see how, not just the other half, but probably the other 75%, lives." (2012)"

""If we had more land, we could provide space to non-profit organisations to offer more elderly home services … the elderly and their children could afford a better service." (2015)"

"“There were some technical questions on the day of vote … Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by a minority.” (2015)"

"People can go to the extreme like what we saw during the Cultural Revolution. For instance, in China, when people take everything into their own hands, then you cannot govern the place. … [It] was the people taking power into their own hands. Now that is what you mean by democracy if you take it to the full swing."

"All of the members of my new team have displayed in their work a strong sense of pragmatism that I promote. … While the backgrounds of principal officials are diverse, they all share a common commitment to our country, our territory and our people and agree with my governing philosophy."

"The life expectancy in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world … you can come to only one conclusion: we have the most environmentally friendly place for people, for executives, for Hong Kong people to live"

"I should focus on other important issues like people's livelihoods and the economy."

"In order to reach universal suffrage we need to build trust."