Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1997

politics. For 12 years now, she has been through thick and thin with Hong Kong citizens in her capacity as a member of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council. Ms. Wong believes that, like money, politics per se is not evil. And if its participants keep open and positive minds, allowing the public the benefit of their foresight and optimism. Hong Kong will no doubt be a better place in the future. Among her many public duties, Ms. Wong finds the chairmanship of the Hong Kong Housing Authority most challenging. As chairperson, she has to tend to each of the multifarious aspects of the organization, which can be most time- and energy- consuming. To discern the true needs of the population and to understand the plight of those at the grass roots requires asympathetic ear. With limited resources on the one hand and huge demands for housing services on the other, she has to maintain a balance between empathy and principles. Decisions made have to be abided by despite criticisms and accusations. To be responsible for and to society, therefore, requires infinite courage and confidence. However momentous the decisions are that Ms. Wong has to make in her different capacities, she is always calm and self- composed. This is indicative of her shrewd time-management and her ability to restore wholesomeness of mind and body under pressure. As a highly family-oriented person, Ms. Wong likes to spend the little free time she has at the weekends with her children. She also enjoys meditating as ameans to explore the true meaning of life. Her book. We've Walked along the Same Path: Letters to the Youth of Hong Kong, written during her stay in America, speaks to youth in words of sincerity. truth and intelligence. It is every young person's guide and companion. Graceful and elegant, Ms. Wong has the gentleness and subtlety of the traditional woman as well as the social consciousness and positiveness of the modern female. She is pacific amidst turbulence; she tempers hardness with a soft approach. For her, no coercion need be exercised to establish authority, no show-off of abilities is required to command respect. She debates with flair and eloquence; she writes with wisdom and insight. The glory of life shines through her as she persistently pursues truth and beauty and yearns for the consolation of Nature. As aresult of Ms. Wong's many achievements in local legislation, housing, youth service, and social welfare, she was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1989, made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1990 and a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1994. Because of Ms. Wong's ardent support of tertiary education, her concern for the development of young people in the territory, and her significant contributions to society, Mr. Chancellor, it is with great pleasure that I present the Honourable Rosanna Wong Yick-ming for the award of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. (Written in Chinese by Serena Jin, translated by the Bulletin) The 52nd Congregation 9