Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has been in the eye of a storm for the last three months. The protests that began as a move against the extradition bill introduced by Lam have since snowballed—with pro-democracy protesters now demanding that Lam step down and an inquiry be made into human rights violations by the Beijing-backed police against protesters.
Who exactly is Carrie Lam, the leader who has been the face of financial hub Hong Kong since 2017? Born a Roman Catholic, Lam joined the civil service in 1980 after graduating from the University of Hong Kong. She was chosen by a committee of 1200 members, who have been trusted with the job of choosing the chief executive of the city. Lam is married to Chinese mathematician Lam Siu-por and has two children.
Though not a popular candidate for the role, she was favoured by Beijing and won by 777 votes. This could be why Lam does not want to take any decision regarding the protests that might get her into trouble with the mainland. The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, has been the biggest challenge Lam has faced in her career as a civil servant.
Lam was appointed Director-General of London Hong Kong Economics Trade Office in London in 2004. She then came back to Hong Kong in 2006 and rose in ranks to reach her current position.
Lam is the first woman to hold the position of Hong Kong's chief executive. "Hong Kong, our home is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness and has accumulated a lot of frustrations. My priority will be to heal the divide," she said soon after she was sworn in by President Xi Jinping. Some local and foreign media have referred to Lam as 'Beijing's puppet',
Despite being the top leader of the city, given the dire situation, Lam has no power to call for an emergency. Doing so, would break the Basic Law—Hong Kong’s mini-constitution—which abides by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The chief executive has the power to appoint judges and holders of certain public offices, to pardon certain sentences, to sign bills passed by the Legislative Council and to promulgate laws.
Experts and analysts have reasoned that the Hong Kongers protests against Beijing are futile and that they should accept the limitations of the ‘one country two systems’ arrangement the city has with the mainland. Taking this into consideration, Lam's ability or rather inability to bring about any tangible change is questionable. In order to change this, election of the chief executive needs to be made autonomous to begin with and this would mean going back to the Sino-British agreement signed upon the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 and bills passed since then.