From Mass Protests to National Security: A Critical Analysis of Carrie Lam’s Political Responses during the 2019 Hong Kong Protests
Ka Hang Wong
Abstract
This article provides a critical discourse analysis of the political speeches of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in the handling of the 2019 Hong Kong protests that led to the Chinese imposition of the National Security Law in 2020. While acknowledging the widely recognized mishandling of the extradition Bill as the root cause of the events, the aim here is to explore the complexities of Lam’s decision-making against a backdrop of external and internal pressures she faced. Using applied linguistics methods, this critical analysis is intended to deepen understanding of the Chief Executive’s underlying beliefs and values that led to the political crisis. It is conducted with the understanding that such insights can contribute to a broader discussion about liberal principles and governance under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework in post-colonial Hong Kong. With the recent enactment of Article 23 that supplements the National Security Law, this is a timely article about how the political discourses of the then Chief Executive caused the escalation of the protests leading to the Chinese imposition of a draconian law that is widely seen as a violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Keywords: Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, National Security Law, extradition Bill, critical discourse analysis, political speeches, post-colonial applied linguistics