Carrie Lam Urges Youth to Change System from Within

Lam on RTHK on devoting 41 years to public service

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says young people can create change from within the system, much like she did, looking back on her 41 years of public service, all the way back to when she was a student activist.

She said this during an episode on RTHK's series Overview Policy, a program dedicated to reviewing her administration's track record since 2017.

Lam (circled) says she was a student activist

The episode was filmed before she fractured her elbow after a fall at Government House last week.

Lam said she was satisfied with her administration's efforts to give Hong Kong's young people a greater voice in local affairs, noting they had recruited them to serve as members of government advisory bodies.

"[These young people] are of very high quality, and they do care very much about Hong Kong. What we should do is to promote that caring attitude among our young people. If you care about Hong Kong, you won't do anything that will ruin Hong Kong," she said apparently alluding to the 2019 anti-government protests.

She recalled being a student activist in her university days.

"If I wanted to push for change in society, there were two paths for me to take when I left university 41 years ago. One was for me to [fight for ideals] from outside [the government], as a social worker, or whatever. The other was to join the establishment.

These students from 2019 were activists too

"And I believe that if I had the heart to serve the community, and I had the commitment and held a proactive attitude, I would be able to get things done. And the path I have taken over the past 41 years showed my idea was practicable.

"I hope more young people can have that belief."

Indeed, that's what many young people did, after the 2014 Umbrella Movement -- they actively established political parties and ran for the legislative council in 2016 and district councils in 2019.

They tried to create change from within. And then what happened?

Many of them were disqualified one way or another from Legco.

In the 2019 District Council elections, 17 out of 18 districts were pro-democratic (388 vs 39 pro-establishment). And then after the national security law was implemented in 2020, over 70 percent of district councillors resigned or were disqualified.

Wong tried to change the system from within too

Some people on social media sarcastically saying to Lam: "They tried to work from within. And then y'all disqualified them. And now they're either in jail or exiled. Remember? Or did you just mean, "Just agree with me and the changes I want to make?"

Everyone cares about Hong Kong. Everyone is of a very high quality or they wouldn't be here.