CE hails bill passage, says Beijing made it happen

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday thanked lawmakers for their “tireless” efforts in passing the electoral reform bill at lightning speed, her colleagues for putting it all together and the public for their “support”, while also acknowledging that none of it would have been possible if it wasn’t for Beijing.

In a lengthy statement issued just moments after Legco approved the bill, Lam said this was a “landmark occasion” which marked a “new era” where there will only be patriots in the legislature, and no “anti-China forces”.

“I am pleased that we have expeditiously completed the task to amend the local electoral legislation within two months,” Lam said.

“This would not have been possible without the guidance of the central government, the full co-operation of the Legco, the support expressed by members of the community and the hard work of my colleagues.”

But as well as all the praise, the CE had some condemnation – blasting foreign politicians and media who have said the overhaul tramples on the rights of Hong Kong people and is designed to keep opposition voices out of the legislature.

“Those misplaced comments and their ulterior motives were very much what had been seen in their unjustified criticisms against the National Security Law,” the statement said.

“The improvement to the electoral system of the HKSAR is both timely and necessary, as anti-China forces had created chaos in the Legco, paralysed the operation of the HKSAR Government, and even colluded with external forces to undermine Hong Kong’s safety and interests. No country or government could turn a blind eye to such dangers,” it added.