A day of drama: Lam faced with nickname, naysayers and the noise of protesters
Chief executive-elect’s vote tally of 777 seized upon by detractors who use Cantonese puns to poke fun at Hong Kong’s new leader Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Sunday got her first taste of the challenges she faces in the coming five years when she emerged from the election with 777 votes, a new nickname and fending off renewed calls for political reform.
Before vote counting had even finished inside a hall at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, some of the 1,194 members of the Election Committee had already gathered in the venue, chanting: “I want genuine universal suffrage”.
They followed it up with a loud round of boos before shouting that “Hong Kong has lost”.
In response, Lam’s supporters took to chanting back that “Hong Kong has won”, as they tried to drown out the noise with applause.
Adding to the drama was the announcement that Lam had won the poll with 777 votes. The word “seven” in Cantonese is often also used as a vulgar term associated with stupidity, and internet users wasted no time ridiculing the number on social media and poking fun at Lam.
The devout Catholic did not seem bothered however when asked about the number in a post-election press conference. Seven is considered a number of wholeness and perfection by many Christians.
