HONG KONG, Jan 19 – Hong Kong filmmaker and kung fu master Sin Kwok Lam said on Wednesday that he intends to enter the city’s leadership race, a shocking move as Chief Executive Officer Carrie Lam has yet to confirm or run for a second term.
The 65-year-old woman is the first person to announce her candidacy before the March 27 general election.
Willing people need the support of a powerful “nationalistic” election party made up of 1,500 people who support Beijing in Hong Kong. It was unclear whether Sex had such support.
In a YouTube video, Sin said his online fans begged him to change his mind about not getting involved in politics.
“Under the new electoral system, I believe that anyone who loves the country can run in the new general election,” Sin said. “I believe I have the ability to win.”
With just a few weeks to go before the election, the lack of news about candidates is rare. Local media have speculated that candidates for the by-elections include leader Lam, Finance Secretary Paul Chan and former World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan.
Sin, who produced the film Ip Man, has been a major karate promoter in the city. He leads the World Wing Chun Union, which focuses on the kung fu style of southern China that became popular in Hong Kong by Ip Man and Bruce Lee.
The Hong Kong-born Sinner has his own YouTube channel with 155,000 subscribers and posts online every few days on topics ranging from politics to the Beijing Olympics. In 2021 one of his plans was to focus on what he called ‘Western hypocrisy’ in Hong Kong.
He began his remarks online in October 2019 during protests against the Hong Kong government in which he strongly supported the government and the police force.
The election period begins on February 15- March 2 and candidates must receive at least 188 nominations from the 1,500 members of the electoral committee, according to a statement from the city legislature.