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A small-circle election committee will choose Hong Kong’s subsequent chief this Sunday and so they have a reasonably straightforward selection, as a result of solely a single candidate is working. Having already secured 786 nominations from the 1,454-member committee, the only candidate for the subsequent chief govt — John Lee — seems all however elected, needing simply 751 or extra votes to seal the deal. Forward of the ballot, listed below are seven issues to learn about Lee.
1. He was the town’s no. 2 official up till final month and is a former police officer
Lee joined the Hong Kong Police Drive when he was 19, after finishing his secondary training. He rose to deputy commissioner of police in 2010. In 2012, he joined the federal government as first underneath secretary for safety, then served because the secretary for safety from 2017 to 2021, and chief secretary from 2021 to final month.
2. He comes from a humble household background
In his marketing campaign speech, Lee stated that rising up, he lived in public housing and that he has “skilled first-hand the hardships confronted by the grassroots neighborhood.”
He additionally not too long ago revealed that he’s Catholic, having studied at Wah Yan School, Kowloon, an elite boys’ college run by Jesuits.
3. If elected, he desires to discover a brand new scheme that will permit individuals to maneuver into new public housing flats earlier than all supporting infrastructure is accomplished
Housing is likely one of the most urgent points confronted by Hongkongers, with a whole bunch of 1000’s estimated to be residing in subdivided flats with compromised security and hygiene requirements. Nonetheless, the common ready time for common candidates wanting to amass a public rental flat within the metropolis is presently six years. To sort out this downside, Lee proposed in his manifesto exploring a brand new scheme that will permit individuals, who’re keen, to maneuver into one or two blocks of a public rental housing property earlier than all supporting services within the neighborhood are accomplished. This, he stated, would scale back wait time by a few yr.
4. Many see him as a high-handed determine
Because the secretary for safety in 2019, Lee was instrumental in pushing the controversial invoice that will permit for the extradition of Hong Kong residents to jurisdictions together with mainland China. The invoice — which has now been withdrawn — sparked months of mass protests. Lee additionally oversaw the police’s controversial dealing with of the demonstrations, which noticed greater than 10,000 tear gasoline canisters fired at protestors, in addition to dwell ammunition, water cannons, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds used. He’s additionally a key determine within the enforcement of the nationwide safety legislation in Hong Kong, which critics say curtails freedom of speech, that was put in place following the unrest.
However some have stated that there’s one other aspect to Lee. For instance, Tik Chi-yuen, the lawmaker for the social welfare constituency, stated Lee was open to others’ opinions and keen to again down the final time he labored with the chief govt hopeful. Lee additionally struck a extra reconciliatory tone in his latest campaigning, saying he would completely give youth arrested through the 2019 protests a second probability to re-enter and contribute to society.
5. He’s sanctioned by the USA
In 2020, the US imposed sanctions on Lee for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and limiting the liberty of expression or meeting of the individuals of Hong Kong.
Because of this if he has any property or pursuits in property which can be within the US or within the possession or management of US residents, they’re blocked and should be reported to the nation’s Workplace of International Property Management.
Final month, Lee’s official marketing campaign channel on YouTube was taken down, with the video platform’s father or mother firm, Google, citing the necessity to adjust to the sanctions.
6. His nickname is a well-known Pokémon species
Many on social media have begun referring to Lee as Pikachu, the enduring yellow Pokémon, as a result of it sounds much like his Cantonese title – Lee Ka-chiu.
Maybe attempting to shed this affiliation, Lee and his crew have give you a caricature of their very own, which interprets as Brother Chiu – an affectionate means of addressing somebody you respect in Hong Kong.
7. Some have questioned his Chinese language language proficiency
There’s a whole Facebook web page, which has greater than 33,000 likes and greater than 45,000 followers, that’s devoted to reviewing Lee’s Chinese language language skills. The web page suggests there are grammatical and expressive points along with his statements and proposes easier-to-understand phrasings.
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