I Don't Have Beijing's Blessing, Says CE Hopeful

The only person so far to declare an intention to stand in the Chief Executive election in March, Checkley Sin, says he didn't receive any blessing from Beijing before throwing his hat into the ring.

Speaking at a luncheon at the Foreign Correspondents' Club on Monday, the businessman, film producer and Youtube commentator said he decided to run in December because of an unhappy event in his family life and encouragement from his friends.

“I don’t want to waste my time, the rest of my life, because I’m full of energy. I play Kung Fu every day,” he said.

Sin said the results of last year’s Legislative Council elections and a speech made by Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office chief Xia Baolong convinced him that anyone could run for the city’s top job as long as they are capable, loyal to the country and can cope with pressure.

“I just talked with two friends before making the decision. I have no way to liaise with Beijing or any other thing,” he said.

Sin also brushed aside suggestions that he isn’t qualified to become chief executive due to his lack of experience in the government.

“[Will] a guy with long-time working experience in the government or the public sector be a good CE? I don’t think so. Working experience is one of the advantages, but not a must,” he said, adding that choosing an administrative officer to be CE may not be a “successful idea”.

Sin also said he's tired of waiting for someone else to join the race.

“I’m just like a boxer, already sitting on the ring and waiting for the company to appear. In fact, I've been waiting for a long time, quite a long time. I’m very tired. I almost fell asleep,” he said.

On land development, Sin proposed flattening mountains on Lamma and reclaiming land off the island to house resort hotels, low-density housing and a mega prison. He said the island could accommodate around 400,000 people under his plan.

“You use 20 years’ time to develop the Lantau Tomorrow [project], why don’t you use just a few years to develop Lamma Island?” he said.

Asked about his view on the government’s handling of the pandemic and whether the city should pivot from its zero-Covid policy, Sin said this was a “very dangerous” question to answer, adding that he did not want to be seen as prejudicing voters against any potential CE candidate.

But he also said Hong Kong should follow the mainland’s zero-Covid policy, as it has proven successful in curbing the pandemic.

“It is proved that the policy taken by mainland China is quite workable, [more so] than the other countries. Why wouldn't we adopt it?” he said.

When asked what he would say to President Xi Jinping about Hong Kong if he were elected, Sin again refused to answer.

“Your question is also quite dangerous for me. Can you ask me after the lunch? I will reply to you later,” he said.