711122, 8:48 AM Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong ‘perfectionist who came unstuck | Financial Times Hong Kong polities Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong ‘perfectionist’ who came unstuck Territory's leader misjudged people's reaction to proposed extradition bill Carrie Lam was forced to shelve the bil indefinitely aftr it provoked some ofthe biggest demonstvations since the handover of Hong Kong fram Britain to China more than 20 years ago © Getty Joe Leahy, Henny Sender and Nicolle Liu in Hong Kong JUNE 2019 Receive free Hong Kong politics updates Welll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Hong Kong politics news every morning. Enter your email address. Sign up When Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's leader, ran for office two years ago, she committed gaffes ranging from not knowing how to navigate the ticket turnstiles of the city’ underground commuter train to admitting she did not know where to buy toilet paper. But never has the elite career bureaucrat, who was appointed by a select pro- Beijing committee two years ago, looked so out of touch with ordinary Hong Kongers as she does now. Her job is hanging in the balance after mass protests forced her over the weekend to suspend an extradition bill seen by many as a fundamental threat to their civil liberties in a potential humiliation for Beijing. ‘The crisis over the proposed legislation, which provoked further protests on Monday calling for her resignation, has been humbling for the first woman to lead nts: com/contonbla2d6060-9017-1109-aeat-2b1433ac3271 a722, 648 AM Cari Lam, the Hang Kong perectonist wh came untick | Fanci Tes Hong Kong. A self-confessed perfectionist, she has been nicknamed “tough fighter” for her ability to prevail over opponents during her long career. “I don’t expect everybody to be of my pace and of my standard,” she told the Financial Times last year. “But I set very high standards for myself.” Ms am this year introduced the extradition bill, which would allow criminal suspects to be transferred from Hong Kong to China, ostensibly to prevent the territory being used as a haven by suspects. Buts 1e was forced to shelve the bill indefinitely after it provoked some of the biggest demonstrations since the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China more than 20 years ago. Critics fear the law would be abused by Beijing to target dissidents and critics. The bill threatened to “drive a tank through the legal firewall” that separates the territory and the mainland under the “one country, two systems” formula by which ’id David Webb, an Hong Kong was guaranteed a high-degree of autonomy, s independent investor and commentator. Despite the public perception of Ms Lam as an aloof mandarin, the chief executive, as Hong Kong's postcolonial leaders are known, was raised in a humble family in the crowded district of Wanchai. She rose steadily through the civil service, holding the key post of secretary for development, in which she courted controversy by demolishing the city’s historic Queen’s Pier. She became the territory’s top bureaucrat, the chief secretary, in 2012 Ms Lam’s first run-in with the city’s growing cadre of young democracy activists came when she oversaw the government's response to the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a 79-day occupation of parts of the city to demand univ sal suffrage. In 2017, Beijing rewarded her with the chief executive's office. Because she has always had a reputation for micromanaging and a reluctance to delegate, she has found it difficult to fill critical positions in her government. Even her close friend and closest campaign adviser, Laura Cha, turned down the position of finance secretary, according to people familiar with the matter. Although local media depict her as an “iron lady”, Ms Lam sometimes appears ntps:itew tt com/contonbla2d606e-9017-1109-aeat-2btd33ac3271 287122, 6:48. AM Ccarie Lam, the Hong Kong ‘perfectionist who came unstuck | Financial Times emotional during public appearances. A staunch Catholic, she has insisted that her motivation for introducing the extradition bill was to help the family of a murder victim — not to please Beijing. Her critics, however, see her as more accountable to Beijing than to Hong Kong. “I have a dual responsibility and dual accountability,” she said last year. Having faced no real elections e was willing to ignore m: Kongei s concerned about the extradition bill last week, only sus proposal when they turned violent and threatened to make the city ungovernable. “She is not willing to discuss anything — if she had paid some respect, there would not be so many people at the rally today,” said one marcher on Sunday, who -old clerk. On Monday, protesters continued a vigil at the city’s legislature calling for the full withdrawal of the bill and Ms Lam's resignation. “If she were a stock, we would recommend shorting Mrs Lam with a target price of zero. Call it the Carrie trade. She has irrevocably lost the public's trust,” wrote Mr Webb. Perhaps finally conceding that she had misread the public mood, Ms Lam issued a rare apology on Sunday after hordes of black-clad protesters crammed the city’s streets. The protest by an estimated 2m people has led to speculation over whether Beijing will remove her and suffer a loss of face or leave her to serve the rest of her five-year term as a lame duck For Ms Lam, the apology was an uncharacteristic climbdown for someone used to getting her own way. “You can say that I am a perfectionist,” she told the FT last year. “I just want to make sure that things do go well — as planned.” With additional reporting by Louise Lucas in Hong Kong “This article has been amended since original publication to show that the Umbrella Movement occupation of central Hong Kong lasted for 79 days not 77. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022. All rights reserved nts: comvcontonbla2d6060-9017-1109-aeat-2b1433ac3271 38718122, 8:48 AM Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong ‘perfectionist who came unstuck | Financial Times hitps:wwf comfconlonviazd606e-9017-1108-aeat-261d33ac3271 40