Audrey Eu
Encyclopedia
Yuet Mee Audrey Eu LLB, LLM, SC
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...

, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

 and the former (founding) leader of the Civic Party
Civic Party
Civic Party is a liberal democratic political party in Hong Kong.The Civic Party is currently the third largest political party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, with five members securing seats in the 2008 Hong Kong Legislative Council elections...

.

Education and legal career

Eu studied at St. Francis' Canossian College
St. Francis' Canossian College
St. Francis' Canossian College was founded on 8 May 1869, the second school established by the Italian Canossian Daughters of Charity in Hong Kong. There is also an elementary school section, known as St. Francis' Canossian School . Both of the school campuses are located at 9–13 Kennedy Road, Wan...

 from 1960 to 1970 and matriculated from St. Paul's Co-educational College
St. Paul's Co-educational College
St. Paul's Co-educational College , is located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong....

 in 1972.

She earned her LLB from the University of Hong Kong and her LLM from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

. She was called to the Bar in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 in 1978 and was appointed as a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

 in 1993 (known as Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...

 since 1997). She specializes in civil law
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

. Before entering politics, Eu was the chairlady of the Hong Kong Bar Association
Hong Kong Bar Association
The Hong Kong Bar Association is the professional regulatory body for barristers in Hong Kong, and was founded in 1949. Like other professional bodies, the HKBA has the authority to take disciplinary action to the members who breach the Code of Conduct of the Association...

. She shot to prominence on the right of abode issue
Right of abode issue, Hong Kong
The right of abode in Hong Kong is the right to legally reside in Hong Kong and was governed by rules both under British and Chinese administration. As the People's Republic of China stood to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the nationality of Hong Kongers as well as their right of abode...

, at the time of the transfer of sovereignty
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...

 to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 in 1997, she held a firm stance against the interpretation of the Hong Kong Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...

 by the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...

.

Political career

Eu decided to enter into politics in 2000, and was successful in gaining a Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...

 seat at a byelection replacing Gary Cheng
Gary Cheng
Gary Cheng Kai Nam is a Hong Kong politician who served as Vice Chairman for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party. He was a long time member of the Legislative Council. During the legislative election in 2000, he was exposed for failing to disclose his...

 after he gave up his seat due to various negative news. She then became a founding member of the Basic Law Article 23 Concern Group, which later became the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group
Article 45 Concern Group
Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group is a pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was established on 14 November 2003 by legal practitioners and academics...

, then the Civic Party
Civic Party
Civic Party is a liberal democratic political party in Hong Kong.The Civic Party is currently the third largest political party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, with five members securing seats in the 2008 Hong Kong Legislative Council elections...

 in 2005.

Article 23 Concern Group

In 2002, when the Hong Kong Government wanted to alter the existing Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...

 concerning treason and sedition, Eu, with some other notable members of the Bar, including Alan Leong
Alan Leong
Kah Kit Alan Leong , SC is a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Kowloon East geographical constituency and leader of the Civic Party. He is also vice-chairperson of the Independent Police Complaints Council.-Early career:...

, Margaret Ng
Margaret Ng
Dr Margaret Ng Ngoi Yee is a politician, barrister, writer and columnist in Hong Kong. She has been a member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong since 1995....

, Ronny Tong
Ronny Tong
Ronny Tong Ka-wah QC, SC is a Senior Counsel and current member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the New Territories East constituency. He is also a member of the Civic Party Executive Committee....

, formed the Basic Law Article 23 Concern Group. Before the draft Bill became public, Eu put forward strong opinions and statements opposing certain measures of the Article 23 legislation. Her campaigning helped her significantly raise her public profile after the 1 July 2003, demonstrations.

Article 45 Concern group

Concern started to grow among Hong Kong residents later about Articles 45
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 45
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 45 is a controversial article in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. It states that the Chief executive should be chosen by universal suffrage as an eventual goal. Its speedy implementation is advocated by the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group.-Contents of Article 45:Article...

 and 68 of the Basic Law in 2004. There were also uncertainties concerning the future of the next 2007 Chief Executive election
Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2007
An election was held on 25 March 2007 to select the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at AsiaWorld-Expo. The third Chief Executive term began on 1 July 2007...

 and the next 4th LegCo elections in 2008
Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
The 2008 Hong Kong legislative election was held on 7 September 2008 for the 4th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There are 60 seats in the 4th Council, with 30 Members elected by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and...

.

In response, Eu, along with other barristers including Margaret Ng
Margaret Ng
Dr Margaret Ng Ngoi Yee is a politician, barrister, writer and columnist in Hong Kong. She has been a member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong since 1995....

 and Ronny Tong
Ronny Tong
Ronny Tong Ka-wah QC, SC is a Senior Counsel and current member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the New Territories East constituency. He is also a member of the Civic Party Executive Committee....

, formed the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group
Article 45 Concern Group
Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group is a pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was established on 14 November 2003 by legal practitioners and academics...

 that advocated fully democratic processes in the form of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...

 in both elections. She found most support with the middle-class.

Eu ran for the 2004 LegCo election for the Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...

 constituency in the same ballot as Cyd Ho
Cyd Ho
Cyd Ho Sau-lan is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Island constituency.Cyd Ho is a founding member of The Frontier, a pro-democracy political group, and since 2006, founding councillor of the World Future Council....

 from The Frontier
The Frontier (Hong Kong)
The Frontier was a relatively radical pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong. It was established on 26 August 1996. The group was headed by former convenor Emily Lau Wai-hing since its establishment as a loose group of individual pro-democracy activists.On 23 November 2008, the Frontier...

. The "Eu-Ho" pair obtained 73,844 votes which resulted in Eu obtaining a seat at the expense of Ho, who lost out to her nearest DAB
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong , formerly known as Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, is the largest pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong...

 rival Choy So Yuk
Choy So Yuk
Choy So-yuk, JP was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.She is an elected member of Eastern District Council. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Master of Philosophy in Chemistry, both from the University of Hong Kong...

 by a mere 815 votes. This was seen as a blunder by the pan-democratic camp, as Hong Kong Democratic Party LegCo candidate Martin Lee
Martin Lee
Martin Lee , QC, SC, JP, was the founding chairman of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong. He was a directly-elected Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Island geographical constituency...

 had more than enough votes to be elected, directly affecting Cyd Ho's election chances.

Civic Party

Eu was the founding leader of the party, and held the office from 19 Mar 2006 to 8 Jan 2011.

She stood for and was returned in the Hong Kong Island geographical constituency for the Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
The 2008 Hong Kong legislative election was held on 7 September 2008 for the 4th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There are 60 seats in the 4th Council, with 30 Members elected by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and...

. She was placed second on the Civic Party ticket, behind newcomer Tanya Chan
Tanya Chan
Tanya Chan Suk-chong is a Legislative Councillor and is a member of the Central and Western District Council of Hong Kong...

, who was also elected. After deducting the quotient required for the first seat, the remainder to Eu was only 30,362, enable Eu to win a seat in the constituency with the lowest number of vote. She got 525 votes less than her former running mate in the 2004 election Cyd Ho.

2009 Reform Package

In the debate over the Hong Kong government's 2009 reform package (referred to by government as the '2012 constitutional reform package') she was among the firmer voices in the pan-democratic camp, supporting the January 2010 resignation by five pan-democrat Legislative Councillors to force a by-election
Hong Kong by-election, 2010
The 2010 Hong Kong by-election is an election held on 16 May 2010 in Hong Kong, triggered by the resignation of five pan-democrat Legislative Councillors in January of the same year....

 in which they re-stood (and were re-elected), intended as referendum on democracy.

Following the vote, she was invited by Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...

 Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....

 to participate in a live televised one-on-one debate with him on the package. The offer surprised many, given her forthright position among democrats. In public opinion polls after the debate on 17 June 2010, she was widely considered to have won (71% to 15%).

In the run-up to the 23 June 2010 Legco vote on the reform package she refused support, saying that it did not go far enough towards democratic expectations, even if it included the Democratic Party's compromise proposal to have the five new district council functional constituency seats returned by popular election.

Other positions

Eu is a patron of St John's Cathedral
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
St. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...

 HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

 Education Centre and was formerly a member of the Consumer Council's Management Committee of its Consumer Legal Action Fund.

External links

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