Szeto Wah
Encyclopedia
Szeto Wah was a politician of the pan-democracy camp of Hong Kong. He was formerly the chairman of The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China and a member of the Legislative Council
from 1985 to 1997 and 1998 to 2004.
Although the Hong Kong government prior to as well as after the British handover shunned him for his opposition to their policies, Szeto was admired in Hong Kong politics for his strong principles, for eschewing personal gain, and for his rare political acumen. According to commentator Stephen Vines, the Chinese central government appointed Szeto to the Basic Law Drafting Committee because they appreciated his political significance, even though they disliked his ideas.
Aside from his political career, Szeto was also well known for his Chinese calligraphy skills. He was referred to as "Uncle Wah"
(華叔) by Hong Kong people.
, Guangdong. Ten years later his poor family fled to their ancestral home from Hong Kong due to the Japanese bombing in Second Sino-Japanese War
. He enrolled in Queen's college
and graduated from Grantham College of Education. He entered the teaching profession in 1952, and became headmaster of the GCEPSA Kwun Tong Primary School in 1961.
He became a baptized Christian in 1974.
Hok Yau Dancing Club
, of which he remained a member until 1958.
in 1974. Under his leadership, the HKPTU expanded rapidly and eventually became the most powerful pressure group in the late 70s to 80s. Szeto stepped down from the union president in 1990.
In 1978 he led the first "Chinese- language movement" in Hong Kong to get mother-tongue classes introduced in secondary schools. That same year he played a leading role in solving the Precious Blood Golden Jubilee Secondary School (寶血會金禧中學) issue involving the "Golden Jubilee school corruption incident" (金禧事件). Louise do Rosario, writing in The Standard
, called him the doyen of the Hong Kong pressure groups and "one of the most influential persons in Hong Kong's political scene since mid-70s. He led a second Chinese language movement in 1979 when the University of Hong Kong said receiving new students do not need a passing grade in Chinese language courses.
in China in history textbooks (such as Nanking Massacre
). Szeto was elected in 1985 and in 1988 to the Legislative Council
through the functional constituency
of the education sector.
In 1985 Szeto, along with Martin Lee
, was appointed to the Drafting Committee for the Basic Law
. Stephen Vines suggested Szeto was appointed because the central government appreciated his political significance, notwithstanding their dislike for his ideas.
In 1989, following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, his relation with the Communist Party of China
became strained., Szeto established the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China which advocates an end to the single-party ruling of China, and which the Beijing leadership regards as subversive. He remained the organisation's chairman for 21 years, until his death in early 2011. During 1989, he and Martin Lee organised protests against Beijing and withdrew from the drafting committee of Hong Kong Basic Law after the incident. Both were banned from visiting mainland China
.
Szeto was a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
delegate since 1983, but boycotted its meetings after June 1989.
, considered the territory's first political party. He returned to Kowloon East in 1991 and in the redrawn constituency in 1995. In the 1998 and 2000 election, he was returned through the multi-member constituency in the same area. During his tenure in the Legislative Council, the group would evolve into the Democratic Party
. Time
once described him as "democracy's foot soldier", and named him one of the 25 most influential people in Hong Kong. In 1997, he was awarded the Homo Homini Award
for human rights activism by the Czech group People in Need
.
street hosted by Citizen's radio. The topic of the program involved the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. Eight people including Szeto were charged. Critics have argued that the Hong Kong government has selectively persecuted Szeto for using unlicensed equipment when delivering the political message as other members have spoken on the radio and were not charged. In a democratic conference in 2007, Szeto publicly stated that the People's Liberation Army
is controlled by the Communist Party of China and not the country. He reiterated that the army is a tool to ensure the party's authoritarian rule.
In 2008 he transferred more than $
781,000 in donation collected by the alliance to the Hong Kong Red Cross
as relief for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
.
Szeto has long supported the commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen protest and his group organizes annual candlelight vigils every 4 June. The 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 drew a crowd of 150,000. Although Szeto has mainly been critical of mainland authorities, he made a controversial surprising move in May 2010 in support of the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012 after the central government had endorsed the Democratic Party's proposal to revise it. Democratic Party Chairman Albert Ho
said that Szeto Wah played an influential role in the decision-making process, but was not the one to make the final decision.
, for which he was undergoing chemotherapy
treatment. He dismissed as "crocodile tears" Regina Ip
's urging of Beijing to allow him to return to the mainland. He also ruled out seeking medical attention there, saying he would seek to visit Tan Zuoren
and Liu Xiaobo
.
Szeto died at the Prince of Wales Hospital
on 2 January 2011, aged 79. In a service at St Andrew's Church
in Tsim Sha Tsui
, bells tolled six long and four short times, representing the victims of the Tiananmen Square protests. In accordance with his wishes, Szeto's body was cremated; half the ashes to be scattered in HK waters, the other half scattered in a garden at Cape Collinson
Crematorium.
Exiled mainland dissidents Wang Dan
and Wu'erkaixi
had expressed their strong desire to attend the funeral. Pan-democrats petitioned the Hong Kong Government to allow them to enter Hong Kong to attend Szeto's funeral on compassionate grounds under the One country, two systems
principle, although Rita Fan said the request represented a huge dilemma for the government as it would set a precedent. On 10 January, Wang Guangya, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office
, declared that decision on whether to allow dissidents to enter was in the hands of the Hong Kong government; he expressed confidence that they would "handle it well". On 26 January, the government announced that the application of Wang Dan to enter Hong Kong had been declined by after "careful consideration"; spokesman said the decision was made based on the potential "consequences" of allowing him in. The decision was denounced by Wang, Wu'er Kaixi, and democratic legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, saying that the government had surrendered the principle of "One country, two systems".
Outgoing RTHK
Director of Broadcasting Franklin Wong was criticised by his staff and others for not holding a live webcast of the funeral.
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...
from 1985 to 1997 and 1998 to 2004.
Although the Hong Kong government prior to as well as after the British handover shunned him for his opposition to their policies, Szeto was admired in Hong Kong politics for his strong principles, for eschewing personal gain, and for his rare political acumen. According to commentator Stephen Vines, the Chinese central government appointed Szeto to the Basic Law Drafting Committee because they appreciated his political significance, even though they disliked his ideas.
Aside from his political career, Szeto was also well known for his Chinese calligraphy skills. He was referred to as "Uncle Wah"
Fictive kinship
Fictive kinship is a term used by anthropologists and ethnographers to distinguish between forms of kinship or social ties that are based on neither consanguinal nor affinal ties...
(華叔) by Hong Kong people.
Biography
Szeto Wah was born in Hong Kong in 1931 with ancestry from KaipingKaiping
Kaiping : Hoi3 Pen6) or Hoi Ping is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, southern China. It has a population of 680,000 as of 2003 and an area of 1,659 km². The locals speak a variation of the Taishan dialect.-Administration:...
, Guangdong. Ten years later his poor family fled to their ancestral home from Hong Kong due to the Japanese bombing in Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. He enrolled in Queen's college
Queen's College, Hong Kong
Queen's College , initially named The Government Central School in 1862, later renamed as Victoria College in 1889, is a sixth form college for boys with a secondary school attached. It was the first public secondary school founded in Hong Kong by the British colonial government...
and graduated from Grantham College of Education. He entered the teaching profession in 1952, and became headmaster of the GCEPSA Kwun Tong Primary School in 1961.
He became a baptized Christian in 1974.
1940s
Szeto was a core member of the pro-communistCommunist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
Hok Yau Dancing Club
Hok Yau Club
Hok Yau Club is an independent and non-profit non-governmental organisation in Hong Kong.Its aim is to provide support and guidance to students as well as to organise activities for youths...
, of which he remained a member until 1958.
1970s
In 1973 he led the Hong Kong teacher's strike protest when the government proposed to cut teachers' salaries by 15%. He then founded the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' UnionHong Kong Professional Teachers' Union
The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union , is a pro-democracy trade union in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1973. The president of the group is Cheung Man Kwong, who has been in this position since 1990...
in 1974. Under his leadership, the HKPTU expanded rapidly and eventually became the most powerful pressure group in the late 70s to 80s. Szeto stepped down from the union president in 1990.
In 1978 he led the first "Chinese- language movement" in Hong Kong to get mother-tongue classes introduced in secondary schools. That same year he played a leading role in solving the Precious Blood Golden Jubilee Secondary School (寶血會金禧中學) issue involving the "Golden Jubilee school corruption incident" (金禧事件). Louise do Rosario, writing in The Standard
The Standard
The Standard is an English free newspaper of Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 231,018. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001....
, called him the doyen of the Hong Kong pressure groups and "one of the most influential persons in Hong Kong's political scene since mid-70s. He led a second Chinese language movement in 1979 when the University of Hong Kong said receiving new students do not need a passing grade in Chinese language courses.
1980s
In 1982 Szeto led an anti-Japanese protest to denounce official Japanese whitewashing of atrocities during the 1930s and 40sJapanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
in China in history textbooks (such as Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
). Szeto was elected in 1985 and in 1988 to the Legislative Council
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...
through the functional constituency
Functional constituency
In the political systems of Hong Kong and Macau, a functional constituency is a professional or special interest group involved in the electoral process...
of the education sector.
In 1985 Szeto, along with 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...
, was appointed to the Drafting Committee for the 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...
. Stephen Vines suggested Szeto was appointed because the central government appreciated his political significance, notwithstanding their dislike for his ideas.
In 1989, following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, his relation with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
became strained., Szeto established the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China which advocates an end to the single-party ruling of China, and which the Beijing leadership regards as subversive. He remained the organisation's chairman for 21 years, until his death in early 2011. During 1989, he and Martin Lee organised protests against Beijing and withdrew from the drafting committee of Hong Kong Basic Law after the incident. Both were banned from visiting mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
Szeto was a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
delegate since 1983, but boycotted its meetings after June 1989.
1990s
In 1990 Szeto would help form the United Democrats of Hong KongUnited Democrats of Hong Kong
The United Democrats of Hong Kong was a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. By 1995 it was merged with the Meeting Point to form the Democratic Party...
, considered the territory's first political party. He returned to Kowloon East in 1991 and in the redrawn constituency in 1995. In the 1998 and 2000 election, he was returned through the multi-member constituency in the same area. During his tenure in the Legislative Council, the group would evolve into the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
The Democratic Party is a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. It was established on 2 October 1994. The party is currently the second largest party in the Legislative Council, headed by Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and, following the November 2008 merger with the Frontier, had around 745...
. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
once described him as "democracy's foot soldier", and named him one of the 25 most influential people in Hong Kong. In 1997, he was awarded the Homo Homini Award
Homo Homini Award
The Homo Homini Award is given annually by the Czech human rights organization People in Need to "an individual in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts"...
for human rights activism by the Czech group People in Need
People In Need (Czech Republic)
People in Need is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organization that implements humanitarian relief and long term development projects in crisis regions all over the world, while working to defend human rights and democratic freedom....
.
2000s
On 25 May 2007 Szeto Wah was speaking at a radio show broadcast from Mong KokMong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
street hosted by Citizen's radio. The topic of the program involved the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. Eight people including Szeto were charged. Critics have argued that the Hong Kong government has selectively persecuted Szeto for using unlicensed equipment when delivering the political message as other members have spoken on the radio and were not charged. In a democratic conference in 2007, Szeto publicly stated that the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
is controlled by the Communist Party of China and not the country. He reiterated that the army is a tool to ensure the party's authoritarian rule.
In 2008 he transferred more than $
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
781,000 in donation collected by the alliance to the Hong Kong Red Cross
Hong Kong Red Cross
The Hong Kong Red Cross is the national Red Cross society of Hong Kong as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross Society in Hong Kong...
as relief for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...
.
Szeto has long supported the commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen protest and his group organizes annual candlelight vigils every 4 June. The 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 drew a crowd of 150,000. Although Szeto has mainly been critical of mainland authorities, he made a controversial surprising move in May 2010 in support of the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012 after the central government had endorsed the Democratic Party's proposal to revise it. Democratic Party Chairman Albert Ho
Albert Ho
Albert Ho Chun-yan . He is currently secretary general of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China and chairman of the Democratic Party. He is a solicitor and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong....
said that Szeto Wah played an influential role in the decision-making process, but was not the one to make the final decision.
Death and funeral
In 2010 Szeto announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, for which he was undergoing chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
treatment. He dismissed as "crocodile tears" Regina Ip
Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, GBS JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , as well as the co-founder and current chairwoman of the New People's Party and Savantas Policy Institute....
's urging of Beijing to allow him to return to the mainland. He also ruled out seeking medical attention there, saying he would seek to visit Tan Zuoren
Tan Zuoren
Tan Zuoren , from Chengdu, Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, is an environmentalist, writer and former editor of Literati magazine .On February 9, 2010...
and Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
.
Szeto died at the Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public and teaching hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong. The hospital is affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
on 2 January 2011, aged 79. In a service at St Andrew's Church
St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon)
St. Andrew's Church is located on 138 Nathan Road, Kowloon. It is a church of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong and in the Diocese of Western Kowloon. It is the oldest Protestant church in Kowloon. The church provides many services on Sundays...
in Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, bells tolled six long and four short times, representing the victims of the Tiananmen Square protests. In accordance with his wishes, Szeto's body was cremated; half the ashes to be scattered in HK waters, the other half scattered in a garden at Cape Collinson
Cape Collinson
Cape Collinson , also Hak Kok Tau , is a cape located near Ngan Wan between Siu Sai Wan and Big Wave Bay in the east most point of the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It faces Tathong Channel....
Crematorium.
Exiled mainland dissidents Wang Dan
Wang Dan
Wang Dan , a leader of the Chinese democracy movement, was one of the most visible of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Wang holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. From August 2009 to February 2010, Wang taught cross-strait history at Taiwan's National...
and Wu'erkaixi
Wu'erkaixi
Wu'erkaixi was a Mainland Chinese student leader of Uyghur ethnicity in the Tiananmen protests of 1989. He was born in Beijing, but listed as a native of Yili, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He achieved prominence while studying at Beijing Normal University as a hunger striker who rebuked Chinese...
had expressed their strong desire to attend the funeral. Pan-democrats petitioned the Hong Kong Government to allow them to enter Hong Kong to attend Szeto's funeral on compassionate grounds under the One country, two systems
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...
principle, although Rita Fan said the request represented a huge dilemma for the government as it would set a precedent. On 10 January, Wang Guangya, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office
Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office
Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office is an administrative agency of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political, economic and cultural ties between mainland China and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao...
, declared that decision on whether to allow dissidents to enter was in the hands of the Hong Kong government; he expressed confidence that they would "handle it well". On 26 January, the government announced that the application of Wang Dan to enter Hong Kong had been declined by after "careful consideration"; spokesman said the decision was made based on the potential "consequences" of allowing him in. The decision was denounced by Wang, Wu'er Kaixi, and democratic legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, saying that the government had surrendered the principle of "One country, two systems".
Outgoing RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
Director of Broadcasting Franklin Wong was criticised by his staff and others for not holding a live webcast of the funeral.