Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor became the last of four major chief executive election candidates to launch an official Facebook page on Monday, only for her page to be hit by a storm of “angry” emojis.
Posts and images shared on the “CarrieLam2017” page attracted around 72,000 “angry” Facebook emojis from internet users as of Tuesday morning, 18 hours after launching. The same posts received a total of 6,300 positive “like” emojis.
“Since I announced my candidacy, everyone has suggested that I open a Facebook page to communicate with the public… I don’t have a personal Facebook account, and I didn’t want to make one hastily,” Lam wrote on the page.
“However, a group of young people in my office specially taught me the basic functions of Facebook. Actually, it’s not that difficult!”
“Today we opened a Facebook page, because we hope to CONNECT with our friends on the internet and the wider public,” she wrote, in reference to her campaign slogan “WeConnect.”
The page currently contains a press release on Lam’s pledge to introduce a progressive profits tax. It also features a short video of four young people surrounding her, teaching her how to use the social media platform.
Some internet users mocked the video: “You don’t make a video of four Lee Kin [driving school] instructors teaching you how to use the brakes!”, wrote one commenter.
‘God’ speaks
Another Facebook page named “God” wrote: “When did I ever tell you run in the election? Come out and challenge me!”
Earlier, Apple Daily had reported that Lam, a Catholic, told her former government colleagues it was God who told her to resign and join the leadership race.
“Why have you accused me?” continued “God.”
“Did you ask me before opening a page?”
大家好，我係Carrie，有人叫我林鄭。歡迎大家來到林鄭辦公室。
由宣佈參選至今，大家都建議我開設Facebook專頁與大眾交流。熟悉我的人都知道我事事愛親力親為，也沒有個人Facebook帳號，不想草率而為。
不過，辦公室内有一班年輕人特意教了我Facebook的簡單操作，原來不是太難！今天我們開設的Facebook專頁，就是希望與網友和廣大市民CONNECT，高清直接聆聽大家意見，讓我們與香港一起同行。
我和團隊選擇以「同行WE CONNECT」為競選主題，因為我們與大家一樣，飽受近年社會撕裂之苦，「和諧」一詞好像離我們越來越遠，香港的發展更漸漸停滯不前。我和大家一樣熱愛這片土地，面對挑戰，我們必須團結起來，同行向前。對我來說，「同行WE CONNECT」另一重的意義，就是希望與大家加強聯繫，讓大家對我多一點了解，多一點信任，願意與我同行。林鄭辦公室Facebook專頁面世，讓我們直接與網民、市民大眾，尤其是年青人交流，我們會細心聆聽大家的意見。
Carrie’s campaign launches FB Page!
#CarrieLam2017 #WeConnect
Publié par 林鄭辦公室 sur lundi 6 février 2017
Currently, Lam’s Facebook page has attracted some 13,000 Facebook followers.
Rival contender John Tsang Chun-wah has 177,000 followers, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has 81,000 followers, and Woo Kwok-hing has 37,000. The small-circle election is scheduled for March 26.
Last February, Hongkongers took advantage of the new emoji “reaction” feature and flooded incumbent Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s Facebook page with angry emoji.
