The Buzz | Carrie Lam’s rude nickname portends challenges ahead

Carrie Lam received a harbinger of difficulties ahead when the announcement of her victory in Hong Kong’s leadership election Sunday received not only cheers and boos, but laughter.

Behind-the-scenes backing from China helped Lam win a resounding victory among the 1,194 business and political elites who pick the city’s chief executive, and dispatched an opponent more popular with the general public. But her vote total – 777 – was immediately seized upon as a nickname to deride the election process. In Cantonese, “seven” sounds like an expletive sometimes used to refer to an impotent person.

Within minutes of the result, the Asian financial hub’s freewheeling social media scene lit up with lewd jokes and memes at Lam’s expense. Her unpopular former boss, Chief Executive Leung Chun-
ying, had been mocked as “689” for his own low vote total before ultimately deciding not to seek a second term. The reaction showed Lam would get no honeymoon before facing the same opposition.

“All politicians might be made fun of and that is quite common, but people doing it on Day Zero is a very strong indication of what an uphill battle it’s going to be for her,” said Alvin Yeung, an opposition lawmaker who voted in the election.