Carrie Lam

Carrie Lam
林鄭月娥
Lam in 2019
4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong
In office
1 July 2017 – 30 June 2022
PresidentXi Jinping
PremierLi Keqiang
Preceded byLeung Chun-ying
Succeeded byJohn Lee Ka-chiu
Chief Secretary for Administration
In office
1 July 2012 – 16 January 2017
Chief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying
Preceded byStephen Lam
Succeeded byMatthew Cheung
Secretary for Development
In office
1 July 2007 – 30 June 2012
Chief ExecutiveDonald Tsang
Preceded by
  • Sarah Liao (Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works)
  • Michael Suen (Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands)
Succeeded byMak Chai-kwong
Personal details
Born
Cheng Yuet-ngor

(1957-05-13) 13 May 1957 (age 67)[1]
229 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, British Hong Kong[2][3]
Nationality
Spouse
(m. 1984)
Children2
EducationSt. Francis' Canossian College
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • civil servant
Signature
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese林鄭月娥
Simplified Chinese林郑月娥
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLín Zhèng Yuè'é
Bopomofoㄌㄧㄣˊ   ㄓㄥˋ   ㄩㄝˋ   ㄜˊ
Wade–Giles
  • Lin2 Cheng4 Yüeh42
  • Lin2 Cheng4 Yo42
Tongyong PinyinLín Jhèng Yuè-é
IPA[lǐn ʈʂə̂ŋ ɥê.ɤ̌]
Hakka
RomanizationLìm Chhang Ngie̍t-ngò
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLàhm Jehng Yuht-ngòh
Jyutpinglam4 zeng6 jyut6 ngo4
IPA[lɐm˩ tsɛŋ˨ jyt̚˨ ŋɔ˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJLîm Tēn Goa̍t-ngô͘

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor GBM GBS JP (née Cheng; Chinese: 林鄭月娥; Cantonese Yale: Làhm Jehng Yuht-ngòh; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the fourth Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022,[4] after serving as Chief Secretary for Administration for five years.

After graduating from the University of Hong Kong, Lam joined the British Hong Kong civil service in 1980 and served in various government agencies, including as Director of Social Welfare from 2000 to 2004 and Director General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London from 2004 to 2006. She became a key official in 2007 when she was appointed Secretary for Development. During her tenure, she earned the nickname "tough fighter" for her role in the controversial demolition of the Queen's Pier in 2008.

Lam became Chief Secretary for Administration under the Leung Chun-ying administration in 2012. From 2013 to 2015 Lam headed the task force on the 2014 electoral reform and held talks with student and opposition leaders during the widespread protests. In the 2017 Chief Executive selection process, Lam obtained 777 votes from the 1,194-member appointed Election Committee as the Beijing-favoured candidate and became the first female Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

Lam's administration had been marred with a series of controversies and thus relatively unpopular since inauguration. Her government was also criticised for raising the qualification age for social security, the proposed cross-harbour tunnel toll plan, and the historic ban on the pro-independence National Party,[5] among other policies.

In mid-2019, Lam pushed for the controversial extradition bill which received widespread domestic and international opposition. Massive protests broke out and persisted throughout the latter half of the year, from demanding the withdrawal of the bill to Lam's resignation among five key demands. Despite suspending the bill in June and eventually withdrawing the bill in September,[6][7][8][9] Lam stood firmly against the other demands including an independent inquiry into police conduct and universal suffrage for legislative and leadership elections.[10] Escalating clashes between protesters and police resulted in at least 10,000 arrests, and would only die down as COVID-19 hit the city. After the pro-government camp suffered a landslide defeat in the 2019 local elections, Lam's popularity further plunged to a record low due to the mishandling of the pandemic.

Lam also saw the Chinese Government imposing the national security law in July 2020, criticised for shrinking freedom in the city and silencing the dissidents. Opposition activists are tried and jailed while pro-democracy media were forced to close. In April 2022, Lam announced that she would not seek a second term as Chief Executive, giving her wish to devote more time with her family as an explanation.[11] She was succeeded on 1 July 2022 by hardliner John Lee.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Superlady was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tramways was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ 林鄭月娥指香港多方面成績是一代代人努力得來. RTHK (in Traditional Chinese). 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Hong Kong chooses first woman head". The Hindu. Reuters. 27 March 2017 [2017-03-26]. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  5. ^ Lum, Alvin (24 October 2018). "Hong Kong National Party founders lodge separate appeals against ban in effort to avoid legal action". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. ^ Shih, Gerry; McLaughlin, Timothy (9 June 2019). "Hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong protest law to allow extraditions to China". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  7. ^ Pierson, David (15 June 2019). "Hong Kong leader will suspend unpopular extradition bill indefinitely". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announces formal withdrawal of the extradition bill and sets up a platform to look into key causes of protest crisis". South China Morning Post. 14 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  9. ^ Rourke, Alliston (13 August 2019). "What do the Hong Kong protesters want?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Hong Kong protests explained in 100 and 500 words". BBC News. 28 November 2019 [2019-08-27]. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  11. ^ Wong, Natalie; Cheung, Tony; Cheung, Lilian (5 April 2022) [2022-04-04]. "'It's time to go home,' Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says as she reveals current term will be her last". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Hong Kong's John Lee: Ex-security chief becomes new leader". BBC News. 8 May 2022. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.

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