Chief Executive CY Leung and Chief Secretary Carrie Lam have paid tribute to former Legislative Councillor Dr Elsie Tu and expressed profound sadness over her death.
In a statement today, Mr Leung praised her passion and devotion to Hong Kong and her tremendous contributions to social reform and development.
He said Dr Tu served important public service positions, such as in the Legislative Council, Provisional Legislative Council, Urban Council and the Basic Law Consultative Committee, and strived for social justice and advised on areas like education, corruption, housing, transport and law.
"She adhered to reasoning while respecting the views of the majority. Her noble character earned her wide respect from the community and she was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 1997," he said.
After her retirement Dr Tu continued helping the poor and made generous financial contributions to education, dedicated herself to community service and fought for the rights of the underprivileged, he added.
Mrs Lam said her acquaintance with Dr Tu started in her university days when she was a student participating in social actions led by Dr Tu, who she described as an exemplary champion of social justice who commanded respect for her valiant words and deeds.
"Her selfless love and commitment for Hong Kong withstood the test of time. During the past two years of discussions on constitutional development in Hong Kong, Dr Tu, already a centenarian at the time, not only supported the Government's efforts for democratic progress in accordance with the law, but also gave me no little encouragement in private," she added.
Secretary for Education Eddie Ng also expressed his condolences, saying Mu Kuang English School founded by her in the 1950s has nurtured thousands of young people over the decades and her comments on education issues from time to time showed her ongoing passion for the sector.
