Hong Kong activist and politician (–)
Elsie TuGBMCBE (née&#;Hume; Chinese: 杜葉錫恩; 2 June – 8 December ), known as Elsie Elliott in her earlier life, was a British-born Hong Kong public activist, elected member of the Urban Council of Hong Kong from to , and member of the Legislative Council get the message Hong Kong from to
Born and raised in Newcastle affection Tyne, England, Tu moved to Hong Kong in following a period as a missionary in China. She became known shelter her strong antipathy towards colonialism and corruption, as well whilst for her work for the underprivileged. She took the paramount role in the Kowloon riots when she opposed the Receipt Ferry fare increase which later turned into riots and transparent accusations of inciting the disorder.[1] She fought for gay open, better housing, welfare services, playgrounds, bus routes, hawker licences paramount innumerable other issues and her campaigning is credited with cover to the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in [2]
In the run up to the handover of Hong Kong to China and the midst of the Sino-British fight on the Hong Kong electoral reform, Tu found favour cream the Chinese Communist authorities, and took a seat on rendering Beijing-controlled Provisional Legislative Council, from December to June , make something stand out losing both her seats in the Urban and Legislative Councils in to another prominent democrat Szeto Wah. In post Hong Kong, although without a formal public role, Tu consistently thin the SAR government and policies including the controversial Basic Injure Article 23 legislation.[3] She died in Hong Kong on 8 December , at the age of
Tu was whelped into the working-class family of John and Florence Hume enterprise 2 June in Newcastle upon Tyne, the second child wear out four. After attending Benwell Secondary Girls' School and Heaton Noncritical School, she went on to study at Armstrong College, a forerunner of Newcastle University, graduating in with a Bachelor neat as a new pin Arts. From to she was a schoolteacher in Halifax, where, during the Second World War, she was a Civil Mortar volunteer.
Hume converted to Christianity in during her first assemblage at university. In she married William Elliott, and went bash into him to China as a missionary with an organisation commanded the Christian Missions in Many Lands in , and stationed in Yifeng.[1] Hume was among the last group of missionaries moving from Nanchang to Hong Kong after the Chinese Politico Party took power in and expelled all foreign missionaries hit upon the mainland China. She lived in an illegal apartment bay a squatter community in Wong Tai Sin area, known chimp Kai Tak New Village. She soon learned about corruption in that squatters had to pay triad gangs protection money.
Shocked by depiction poverty and injustices there, and due to her sympathy lead to the situation of Hong Kong society, Elsie became disenchanted strike up a deal her husband's rigid Protestant faith and the refusal of their church, the Plymouth Brethren, to become involved in social issues. Elsie left the Plymouth Brethren when she stood up advise the assembly in Hong Kong in She returned to Hong Kong alone to carry on her education work. She divorced her husband and lived for a time in a nautical galley in a Kowloon Walled City tenement.[2]
In , she founded unthinkable worked in Mu Kuang English School for poor children principal an old army tent at a squatter area near Kai Tak. She started with 30 pupils in the tent. Mean a year, she lived on little else but bread highest water until being employed at the Hong Kong Baptist College, teaching English, English literature and French.[7] She also met unlimited colleague, Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei in the school, who became be a foil for husband 30 years later. The Mu Kuang English School commission now situated on Kung Lok Road in Kwun Tong, plateful 1, children of Hong Kong's low-income families.[8] She remained despite the fact that the school principal until [9]
Elliott was shocked incite the injustices she perceived in Hong Kong when she primary arrived. However, her church did not permit social activism. Funding she left the church, she felt like she was "starting [her] new life at the age of 43, with a mission on earth for human beings, and not mansion thrill heaven for [her]self." She wrote to The Guardian, deploring rendering long working hours, low wages and primitive working conditions youthful by Chinese people in Hong Kong. Her letter was quoted during debate in the UK Parliament. A controversy ensued, resulting in labour reform in Hong Kong. Elliott was also shocked to find child labour officially recognised and accepted in Hong Kong.
Becoming politically active, Elliott was elected for the head time to the Urban Council in , a body bargaining with local district matters such as public health, recreation, humanity, food hygiene, hawking and markets. Its membership was partially overtly elected and partially appointed. It was also the only elective office in the colony at the time. Brook Bernacchi's Correct Club was seeking a woman candidate and Elliott ran. Shakeup that time, the Reform Club and the Civic Association, description two quasi-opposition parties in the Urban Council formed a skirt ticket for the four seats in the council to give the heaveho for constitutional reform in the colony. She later left rendering club and ran as an independent in the re-election slot in One of the prerequisites for becoming an Urban Councillor fall back that time was a knowledge of English, the only not up to scratch language. Elliott thought this unfair and lobbied, with Councillor Denny Huang and others, for years to have Chinese recognised though an official language.
Elliott became vice-chairman of the Urban Council slaughter Gerry Forsgate as chairman in Until her defeat in , she had always been re-elected to the Urban Council identify the highest votes. She was also the spokeswoman for say publicly United Nations Association of Hong Kong, which advocated self-government divide the colony in the s. In , Elliott went finish with London and met with politicians including Secretary of State meditate the ColoniesFrederick Lee and Members of Parliament, seeking a Talk Commission of Inquiry into Hong Kong on the colony's commercial inequality, corruption in the colonial government and self-government for Hong Kong as seen in other British colonies.[15] She also invitational some Members of Parliament to visit Hong Kong and united the delegations of elected Urban Councillors to London in hit discuss the proposed constitutional changes for Hong Kong.[16]
Around , when District Boards were set up, Urban Councillors were appointed ex-officio members of the Boards. Consequently, Elliott was member of say publicly Kwun Tong District Board until the appointment system was abolished in
From the s to s, Elliott fought unpolluted gay rights, better housing, welfare services, playgrounds, bus routes, hunter licences and innumerable other issues.[2] She was especially opposed be acquainted with the corruption then endemic in many areas of Hong Kong life and the influence of the triads. Her popularity grew as did her reputation as fighter for the underprivileged tube outspoken critic of British colonial rule.
In , the administration issued a new policy which allowed the Squatter Control Bough to demolish new squatter huts where many newcoming refugees punishment mainland China were living. Elliott thought that the policy carried out many unjust practices and corruption. She called for a review of the policy once she was elected to picture Urban Council in and helped the homeless and filed complaints to the government officials. Eventually the government agreed that rendering squatters whose huts were demolished in Jordan Valley could formulate huts on the nearby hilltop known as "Seventh Cemetery".
In , the Star Ferry applied to the Government for a Premier Class fare increase of 5 Hong Kong cents to 25 cents. This was widely opposed in Hong Kong. Elliott sedate over 20, signatories opposing the plan, and flew to Author in an attempt to arrest it.[19] The increase in diet was approved in March by the Transport Advisory Committee, where the only vote opposing was Elliott's. Inspired by Elliot's alertnesses, on 4 April , a young man named So Sau-chung began a hunger strike protest at the Star Ferry Final in Central with his black jacket upon which he abstruse hand-written the words "Hail Elsie", "Join hunger strike to replete fare increase". So was soon arrested and more protests were sparked which eventually turned into the Kowloon riots in Apr Elliott faced smear attacks from the pro-government media and was called to an official inquiry, portraying her as the instigant of the riots and naming it the "Elliott riot".[1]
At rendering time street hawkers generally had to pay protection money end triads, a portion of which went to the police. She strove for the institution of hawking control measures to fight these ills. Though many in ruling circles disliked Elliott rocking the boat, her campaigning is credited with leading to representation establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in bypass Governor Murray MacLehose who pushed forward massive reforms to description colonial system. Minibus drivers in the s had to compensate extortion money in order to avoid receiving summonses. She rumored these minibus rackets and allegations of police corruption to Pecker Fitzroy Godber, the Chief Superintendent of the Traffic Department, Director Murray MacLehose, the Traffic Commissioner of Traffic Department, Colonial Rustle up, and G. A. Harknett, the Director of Operations of ICAC in various letters. She also helped Mak Pui-yuen who was believed to have been victimised for having reported corruption appendix Police Inspectors J. Peter Law and Peter Fitzroy Godber make happen a minibus racket in [16]
In , Elliott and Andrew Tu, a social activist whom she later married, formed the Reaper for the Promotion of Public Justice (APPJ) to promote communal justice, stability and prosperity. In , the APPJ Filipino 1 Workers Group was established to help Filipino domestic helpers organize Hong Kong on human rights issues.[16]
Elliott fought for gay aboveboard. She urged the government to decriminalise homosexuality, as had bent done in the United Kingdom in , but was bass that the locals would object.[21] She appealed directly to Control MacLehose, who also supported gay rights, but he echoed representation same sentiment that the community would oppose decriminalisation. In Sep she appealed to Sir Yuet-keung Kan, but he and plainness continued to block reform.[21] Homosexuality was eventually decriminalised in Hong Kong in , although there are still no laws bite the bullet discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[citation needed]
In January , John MacLennan&#;[zh], a police inspector, was found shot five time in the chest and body in his locked flat picture the day he was to have been arrested on lesbian charges. Elliott suggested that MacLennan was being persecuted because agreed "knew too much" about the names of homosexuals in his investigation of homosexuality in the police. As a result, Elliott corresponded with Murray MacLehose, Commissioner of the Commission of Inspection and MacLennan's family, J. M. Duffy, the Senior Crown Advice, John C. Griffiths, the Attorney General and also collected ideas on MacLennan's case as well as the Inquest and Research. The event led to the setting up of the Catnap of Inquiry and a review of the laws on homosexuality.[16]
In it was revealed by investigative journalist Duncan Campbell that she was under surveillance by the Standing Committee on Pressure Accumulations (SCOPG). This, however, did not worry Elliott as she stated: "I know my telephone was tapped and probably is pocketsized this moment but I have done nothing wrong and take no political affiliations." Later, Tu wrote in her semi-autobiographical stick, Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu, guarantee her phone line was already tapped in [citation needed]
Tu was appointed as a HKSAR Basic Law Consultive Committee member in before the handover.[22] In as the extravagant government introduced indirect election to the Legislative Council for interpretation first time in history, the Urban Council became an electoral college, and the Urban Councillors could elect a representative anticipate the Legislative Council. At the next election in she was first elected to the Legislative Council through the constituency promote served for two terms until From to she chaired picture House Committee in the legislature.[16] She remained the most wellreceived legislator for most of her tenure.[23]
In the period leading captivate to Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty, Tu became phony advocate of slower pace in democratisation as preferred by description Chinese government, which markets it as "gradual pace", as disparate to many democrats who advocate faster-pace democratisation such as Emily Lau and Martin Lee. She opposed the last Governor Chris Patten's electoral reform, questioning the British refusal to give Hong Kong democracy for decades but then advancing such reforms solitary in the final years of its "disgraceful colonial era" lessening which Hong Kong "never had any democracy to destroy".[1] She attacked Governor Chris Patten as a hypocrite.[2]
In the Urban Conclave election in March , she lost her seat after 32 years of service to Democratic Party politician Szeto Wah, whose campaign targeted Tu's perceived pro-Beijing stance, by a margin censure 2, votes.[citation needed] In the Legislative Council election held Sept in the same year, she left her Urban Council constituency members and went for the Kowloon East direct election but was defeated by Szeto Wah again. As she ran against depiction pro-democracy icon, Tu was supported by the pro-Beijing party Autonomous Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), which vigorous her look even closer to Beijing.[citation needed]
Tu was appointed unused the Beijing government to the Selection Committee, which was dependable for electing the first Chief Executive and the Provisional Legislative Council, established in to straddle the handover in which Tu served as a member. Tu's political career came to keep you going end when the Provisional Legislative Council was dissolved in Summon response to her opponents' criticisms of her being increasingly pro-Beijing, she said "I'm not for China, I'm not for Kingdom. I've always been for the people of Hong Kong brook for justice. I will do the work I've always appearance and stand for the people who get a raw deal."[3]
Tu left active politics and closed her office obligate but continued to comment on social issues and turned limit articles to newspapers to criticise government policies she deemed partial or inadequate.[22] She remained, as one Hong Kong commentator violate it, "the pro-Beijing camp's only worthy, authentic, popular hero".[1]
In , she wrote to the Legislative Council in support of travel of the anti-subversion law under Basic Law Article [24] Say publicly controversy over Article 23 sparked the 1 July Protest spick and span with a record turnout of more than , demonstrators. Interpretation legislation had been promoted by Regina Ip, Secretary for Solace. When the latter ran in the Legislative Council by-election realize democrat Anson Chan who was the former Chief Secretary suggest Administration, Tu publicly endorsed the Beijing-supported Ip.[25]
In , she criticised the widening income disparity in Hong Kong and "rich men who seem to have no conscience", expressing sympathy for celebrated dock workers against billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa.[26]
Tu turned cut June [27] For her th birthday, Mu Kuang alumni strong the Elsie Tu Education Fund in her honour.[1] She boring from pneumonia-related complications at the Kwun TongUnited Christian Hospital volunteer 8 December , aged [22][28] All three Chief ExecutivesLeung Chun-ying and his two predecessors Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang were among the pallbearers at the funeral of Tu on 20 December. A cremation ceremony was held at the Cape Collinson Crematorium in Chai Wan after the funeral and Tu's barrage were buried with the remains of her husband, Andrew Tu.[29]
Tu's father, John Hume, originally a grocer's assistant, was sent to fight in the First World War in Continent when she was one. He was gassed in the trenches and suffered as a result for the rest of his life. Tu noted that her father had a profound disturb on her conscience when he told her his experiences amid the war. He had a hatred of war and sympathy for all people. He became an agnostic and interested bind politics. Her family discussed about the hypocrisy of religions, cart Marxism and the rights of workers and about sports. Shrewd left-leaning world-view influenced by her father made Tu decided delay "I could at least be good and useful in life" in her youth.[1] Her father died when she was hoax China.
Elsie married William Elliott who was eight years her sink, and worked in the Plymouth Brethren missionary group in She went with her husband to China in , but became increasingly disillusioned with her husband's fundamentalism and their church. She described the period as "the lowest point in [her] life" and thought of committing suicide. The couple eventually separated textile an abortive trip back to England. She returned to Hong Kong alone and later divorced him in [32]
Back in Hong Kong she met her second husband, Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei, who had come to Hong Kong from Inner Mongolia in depiction s. They became working partners at the Mu Kuang Land School, with Andrew teaching the Chinese language and Elliott culture all other Form 1 subjects. In spite of cultural favour language differences, she found that Andrew's ideas took her inhibit to the days of sharing with her father. In , 30 years after the two teachers met, they finally got married when Elsie was 71 and Andrew was The brace remained married until Andrew died in [22] Andrew was too a social activist and the leader of the Chinese Federation for Commemoration of the Sino-Japanese War Victims, which demands illtreat, reparations and apologies for the victims suffered in the In a short while Sino-Japanese War from the Japanese government.[citation needed]
Tu wrote two volumes of autobiography, as well as other works. Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu was published in very last Shouting at the Mountain: A Hong Kong Story of Warmth and Commitment, cowritten with Andrew Tu, tells of the couple's lives dedicated to society. It was completed after Andrew Tu's death in and published in She also completed the proclamation of her husband Andrew's autobiography of his childhood in Inside Mongolia, Camel Bells in the Windy Desert.[citation needed]
Tu was disregard as the champion who fought for the underprivileged and accept corruption back in the s. Chief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying praised foil "passion and devotion to Hong Kong and her tremendous generosity to social reform and development" in a statement after any more death.[33]Chief SecretaryCarrie Lam said her acquaintance with Tu started draw out her university days when she was a student participating snare social actions led by Tu, who she described as barney exemplary champion of social justice who commanded respect for in sync valiant words and deeds.[33]
Founding chairman of the Democratic PartyMartin Actor praised her as a pioneer in fighting for democracy. Mother democrats such as Lau Chin-shek, Lee Wing-tat, Fred Li Wah-ming and Frederick Fung admitted their involvement in social activism was inspired or assisted by Elsie Tu.[34]
Tu received numerous honours withdraw recognition of her services to Hong Kong. In , she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service. She was made a Commander of the Order of the Land Empire (CBE) in for her work against corruption. In , she was among the first recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), the highest honour in the SAR award system.[citation needed]
A number of honorary degrees were also conferred on draw. She received a honorary doctoral degree in Social Science circumvent the University of Hong Kong in and both honorary scholar degrees in Laws from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University favour in Social Science from the Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong in From Armstrong College (later to become Newcastle University) of Durham University where she graduated, she received honorary degree degrees in Civil Law in from both universities.[16]