Szeto Wah

Szeto Wah
司徒華
Szeto Wah at the 21st anniversary candlelight vigil in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Chairman of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union
In office 1974–1990
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	Cheung Man-kwong
Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
In office 21 May 1989 – 2 January 2011
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	Lee Cheuk Yan
Member of the Legislative Council
In office 30 October 1985 – 22 August 1991
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	Cheung Man-kwong
Constituency	Teaching
Majority	68.64% (1985) Unopposed (1988)
In office 9 October 1991 – 30 June 1997
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Replaced by Provisional Legislative Council
Constituency	Kowloon East
Majority	37.83% (1991) 55.40% (1995)
In office 1 July 1998 – 30 September 2004
Preceded by	New Parliament
Succeeded by	Albert Cheng
Constituency	Kowloon East
Majority	33.33% (1998) 25.00% (2000)
Personal details
Born	Szeto Wai Wah (司徒衛華) (1931-02-28)28 February 1931[1] Hong Kong
Died	2 January 2011(2011-01-02) (aged 79) Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong
Nationality	Hong Kong Chinese
Political party	United Democrats (1990–94) Democratic Party (1994–2011)
Other political affiliations	Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
Residence(s)	Mong Kok, Kowloon
Alma mater	Queen's College, Hong Kong Grantham College of Education
Profession	Teacher and Politician
Signature
Website	http://www.szetowah.org.hk

Szeto Wah (Chinese: 司徒華; 28 February 1931 – 2 January 2011) was a Hong Kong democracy activist and politician. He was the founding chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1985 to 1997 and from 1997 to 2004.

Being one of the two icons of the Hong Kong democracy movement alongside Martin Lee, Szeto played an instrumental role in the emergence of the pro-democracy camp. Entering politics as a trade unionist for teachers, Szeto founded the influential Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union and was first elected to the colonial legislature through the newly created Teaching functional constituency in 1985. He and Martin Lee became the two pro-democrats appointed to the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee by the Beijing government in 1985 until the duo resigned in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

Szeto played a significant part in gathering popular support of the Hong Kong public in the Tiananmen democracy movement and subsequently the Operation Yellowbird rescuing the wanted democracy activists. He also founded the Hong Kong Alliance which has been responsible for the annual memorials for the protests. On the basis of the pro-democracy support he also co-founded the United Democrats of Hong Kong to contest in the first Legislative Council direct elections which later transformed into the Democratic Party.

Szeto remained as the unofficial party whip of the Democratic Party. He retired from the Legislative Council in 2004 and retained his influence in the pan-democracy camp. In 2010, he led the moderate faction of the camp to oppose the radical-led Five Constituencies Referendum movement and played a significant role in drawing the revised proposal of the electoral reform package in the Democrats' negotiation with the Beijing authorities. He remained the chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance until he died in 2011 at the age of 79.