John Lee, at the center, helped the Hong Kong government use a new security law to destroy the political opposition. Credit … Jerome Favre / EPA, via Shutterstock
John Lee, a former security chief known for his firm loyalty to the Chinese government, was elected Hong Kong’s next leader on Sunday through a strictly Beijing-controlled selection process in which he was the sole candidate.
Mr Lee, 64, will replace the unpopular Carrie Lam as CEO, the highest-ranking official in Hong Kong. Under Ms. Lam’s watch, fierce pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2019, and China responded with a broad national security law that restricted Hong Kong’s freedoms.
Mr Lee, who was Hong Kong’s security chief for four years before being appointed Secretary-General last year, No. 2 in the government, was a key figure in quelling the protests in 2019. He then helped the government to administer a new security law to destroy the political opposition, leaving the most outspoken figures behind bars or in exile.
An election commission of about 1,500 Hong Kong residents voted in the election for chief executive on Sunday. Most had already declared their support for Mr. Lee, who had no opponents. He will be sworn in on July 1.
Police officers filled the streets around the convention center near the port of Victoria, where the vote took place. Three protesters marched nearby, carrying a sign calling for direct elections – far from the huge demonstrations of several years ago.
A clear sign of Mr Lee’s intentions: his plan to pass a package of new laws on treason, secession, riot and subversion. Laws known as Article 23 on the part of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution that imposes them have long been a problematic issue for Hong Kong leaders. The government tried to introduce legislation under Article 23 in 2003, only to withdraw after hundreds of thousands protested.
This time, Mr Lee will not face such opposition.
The repression that followed the protest movement in 2019 brought to life the once vibrant civil society in Hong Kong. Newspapers, unions, political parties and human rights groups have been shut down under government pressure and national security investigations.
In January 2021, police arrested dozens of opposition politicians and activists, saying their election strategy was a subversive plot. Many remain in custody pending trial on national security charges that could lead to life in prison. The trial has been delayed so long that the delays drew criticism last month from a conservative judge who was elected by the government to oversee security processes.
Under Mr Lee’s administration, the crackdown is expected to spread to Hong Kong’s civil service, which has come under increasing criticism from pro-Beijing politicians after some government officials joined protests in 2019. Its workers have also been blamed. from the Beijing camp that oppose continental-style coronavirus control efforts, such as extensive blockades and mandatory city-wide tests.
“We need to make sure that the civil service implements the government’s policies faithfully,” said Lau Siu-kai, Beijing’s Hong Kong policy adviser. “We need to make sure that the disciplinary system of the civil service is strict to make sure that those civil servants who do not perform will be punished or rid of them.
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