Oh, Carrie!

Ms. Carrie Lam was elected Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the elections that took place two weeks ago.
As a public servant, she has served in many offices and departments. The role that deserves a highlight is the one in which she played Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. The experience she had in this office and, before, while studying at Cambridge, may have given her a helicopter view of society and of what a CE of Hong Kong must be. It may also give a new boost to our noisy neighbour.
Taking into consideration her campaign slogan – ‘We connect’ – one may believe that after some years of disturbance of the population a more peaceful region may be her goal and that the connection to our common motherland would be less impaired.
Hong Kong plays a decisive role in the integration of the Great Pearl River Delta Region – Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
After this, and assuming that Ms. Lam will be in office for two terms (which, unlike Macau, is something difficult to achieve in Hong Kong), we will be entering upon a new and mature stage of a Special Administrative Region in the onward march of the People’s Republic of China.
In what concerns to Macau, and despite what may appear to be contradictory, we have experienced integration within the referred Great Pearl River Delta Region but, at the same time, we have seen the former administered territories separating themselves and following each path without sometimes looking to each other.
From a suburb city of Hong Kong, Macau has evolved into an international destination where gaming fuels the economy. There are, of course, close links, but in my humble opinion such links are no longer dependence. There is already a full independent local class of entrepreneurs who do not need to have as mother companies those connected or incorporated in Hong Kong. In terms of utterance of the autonomy of Macau, it seems quite important. Ms. Lam will also be – we all expect – the CE who will inaugurate the new bridge which, after all the delays, shall be operational before she leaves office. This landmark and strong step, will change forever the face of Macau and its integration within the People’s Republic of China.
We all wish that Ms. Lam is successful and able to make Hong Kong not great again but to continue to be great.