Tung Chee-hwa’s former colleagues on Wednesday praised his diligence, discipline and perseverance, sharing anecdotes as they paid tribute to Hong Kong’s first chief executive, who passed away peacefully late Tuesday at the age of 89.
Former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who succeeded Tung, described his predecessor as empathetic, diligent and forward-thinking.
“I met Mr Tung in the 1990s in the Executive Council. Through our interactions, I deeply felt his approachability, gentleness, and his broad vision and far-sightedness,” Tsang said.
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He highlighted Tung’s selfless work ethic, saying he worked all year round without rest. “Facing adversity, he never gave up. With extraordinary perseverance, he overcame difficulties and ultimately led the government back on track.”
Tung served as Hong Kong’s first chief executive from 1997 to 2005. His tenure was marked by multiple crises. During the 1998 Asian financial crisis, he led the government’s unprecedented intervention in the stock and futures markets to defend the Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US dollar. After the SARS epidemic struck Hong Kong, Tung oversaw quarantine measures that ultimately brought the outbreak under control.
‘Almost harsh demands on himself’
Former Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung, who remembered Tung as a mentor, said Tung was an extremely diligent person, “with almost harsh demands on himself.”
“He would get up at 5 in the morning to read documents and call at seven to discuss government affairs,” Leung said in a statement.
“He was meticulous in everything, leaving no detail unattended. In him, I saw the weight of the word ‘responsibility’.”
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But Tung was never a harsh boss. Always treating colleagues with warmth and kindness, Tung had a favorite quote: “The way of governance is to win people with virtue”, said Leung.
He never spared praise or reprimanded anyone in public. “Everyone who worked by his side respected and admired him,” reads the statement.
