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Carrie Lam policy address 2019
OpinionLetters

Letters | Why Hong Kong media must stop blaming Carrie Lam: it sends out the message that protest violence will succeed

  • Critics of the latest policy address are indifferent to its contents, choosing to highlight instead the lack of a response to the five demands of protesters
  • The implicit support of misguided critics is why protesters are not retreating

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam leaves the Legislative Council chamber for a second time, as heckling opposition lawmakers thwart her attempts to deliver the annual policy address on October 16. The address was eventually delivered by video. Photo: AFP
Letters
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivered her third annual policy address on October 16, and some critics have already jumped on the bandwagon to throw cold water on the initiatives proposed.
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Michael Chugani criticised the policy blueprint as being out of touch (“Carrie Lam has missed a chance to shape history”, October 17) while Alex Lo derided Lam as a leader without direction (“Lam like a rabbit caught in the headlights”, October 18).
Are they fair comment on a policy blueprint that consists of more than 220 initiatives aimed at solving the city’s deep-seated livelihood problems – from housing affordability to education and transport, and from the plight of underprivileged individuals and groups to health care?
Both critics showed indifference to the contents of the policy address but chose to highlight the omission of a political solution to the so-called five demands of rioters who have run amok across the city, throwing deadly petrol bombs at police, besieging police stations, assaulting officers and innocent civilians, detonating a bomb, barricading roads, vandalising transport networks, storming the legislature, burning national flags, trashing banks and even private business establishments – all with the heinous goal of ruining the government.

As a matter of principle, no government should ever bow to violence. This city is ruled not by violence but by law. The controversial extradition bill has been withdrawn and the chief executive has categorically clarified her stance on the remaining four demands. The reason the rioters are not retreating is the implicit support of misguided critics, political groups, legal and academic institutions and an unbridled media – through unsubstantiated allegations against police, and the shameless blaming of the government for the turmoil.

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