Chaos erupted yesterday at the government’s first in-community promotion of its reform plan, as a speech by Chief Executive CY Leung was disrupted by pro-democracy activists.
Leung left the event under heavy police protection after just 20 minutes.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam, went to Mei Foo to promote the controversial proposal for universal suffrage in the 2017 chief executive election.
It was formally announcement at the Legislative Council earlier in the day.
CY Leung, who was not on the list of participating speakers, appeared unannounced to give support. He called the proposal a big step in realising the city’s desire for genuine suffrage.
Despite having previously commented that “a district visit has never been a problem for me”, the chief exec found his speech was met by fierce opposition by protesters at the site.
While some community members chanted their support for the proposal, others countered with slogans such as “Step down, CY Leung” and “I want genuine universal suffrage”, reports Apple Daily.
Yellow umbrellas, a symbol of last year’s so-called Umbrella Movement, were also unfurled.
The chief executive left the scene after less than 20 minutes. Clashes erupted and Leung was escorted to his vehicle under heavy police protection. Many reporters were pushed to the ground amid the chaos, with one RTHK journalist suffering cuts on his hands.
Leung, nicknamed 689 by his critics in reference to the amount of votes he obtained in the previous election, issued a statement today criticising the protesters as “undemocratic” and “covering others’ opinion with their voice”.
He urged for tolerance and “a spirit of democracy”, adding that he is “open for dialogue with different views” and wishes to implement the election proposal.
The government’s proposal for the 2017 chief executive election involves two rounds of pre-selection by the nominating committee. Hopefuls must obtain at least 601 out of a possible 1,200 endorsements from the committee, widely seen as pro-Beijing, in order to quality as candidates.
Once the candidates are vetted, the election will open to five million qualified voters and would be held on first past the post basis. A majority vote is unnecessary to win and blank ballots will be counted as invalid.
Photo: Joel Christian via Facebook
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