‘She was a giant’: Last tributes to legendary politician Elsie Tu
Vice-President Li Yuanchao among politicians and officials paying respects at memorial service for the former lawmaker and champion of the poor
Top government officials and politicians paid their final tributes to legendary politician Elsie Tu at her memorial service yesterday.
The ceremony for the champion of the underprivileged at the Universal Funeral Parlour in Hong Hom opened to the public at 5pm.
The mourning hall was set in Western style and filled with wreaths from leading officials, including Vice-President Li Yuanchao (李源潮), Zhang Xiaoming (張曉明), director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, and former chief executives Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.
No religious rites were held. Among the hundreds of mourners were Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, as well as Executive Council members and lawmakers.
“Elsie contributed enormously to the city, even though she was not locally born. Civil servants should learn from her,” said Exco convenor Lam Woon-kwong.
Labour minister Matthew Cheung Kin-chung described Tu as a “giant” with a kind heart, as she spent her whole life fighting for the grass roots.
The service was arranged by Tu’s Educational Fund and Mu Kuang English School. Its alumni called her the “real spirit of Hong Kong” and lauded her contribution to schooling.
