“Her merit in the service should be left to history to judge. Personally I do appreciate her hard work throughout her long-term public service, her initiative and persistence and also her sacrifice in terms of her time, effort and family life,” Lee said.
When asked to comment on Lam’s handling of the 2019 social unrest, Lee said it was “unfortunate” that the CE was caught up in the “global climate and superpower struggle.”
Lee added, however, that Lam’s administration had failed to meet expectations when it came to containing the local coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, the New People’s Party thanked Lam for her contributions in the past five years, saying her government has completed a lot of work as Hong Kong underwent multiple challenges.
Vice chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance, Jeffrey Lam, who’s also an executive councillor, said Hong Kong’s return to order since the unrest and an easing pandemic highlighted Lam’s contributions to the city.
Prominent businessman Allan Zeman told RTHK that it’s been “a difficult period” for Lam during her term as chief executive, with Hong Kong hit by the 2019 protests and then Covid-19.
“I think that in general, she’s had her hands full. And also being in the middle between the international community, international borders and of course the Chinese borders being closed, it’s not easy,” the chairman of the Lan Kwai Fong Group said.
“Honestly, she tried her best, and I know she gets a lot of criticism, but you know, when crisis hits in any country, there’s always criticism… It’s a very, very tough job, it’s not an easy job.”
Earlier on Monday, Lam cited family reasons for her decision not to seek another term in office, adding that she will retire when her time as CE comes to an end on June 30.
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Last updated: 2022-04-04 HKT 15:33
