ANNA Wu Hung-yuk, the most recent woman to have joined the Legislative Council, has not long been converted to the women's agenda.
She admits that before Governor Chris Patten appointed her to Legco last January she had not been involved in the women's movement. Less than a year later, she is championing its cause, not only supporting the principle that there should be women's legislation but introducing it herself.
Ms Wu, 42, a solicitor brought up and trained in Hong Kong, is taking the unusual step of preparing a private member's bill to sweep away discrimination, including that against women. She also plans to table a second bill, for a human rights commission, that would include a women's commissioner if the Government does not set up a women's commission.
Her anti-discrimination bill, which she hopes will be passed and put into effect before her term in Legco ends in July 1995, will also provide protection from discrimination for anyone from the disabled to gays, as well as religious, political and racialminorities.
Ms Wu is pressing ahead with her bills regardless of the debate on whether the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) should be extended to Hong Kong. Earlier this month Legco members unanimously agreed that CEDAW should be adopted, and called on the Government to enforce anti-discrimination laws.
But Ms Wu said that asking for the ratification of CEDAW was not enough. For the covenant to be effective it would have to be translated into domestic laws. ''Extending CEDAW is also out of our control, because it requires the agreement of Britain and China and must be dealt with by the Joint Liaison Group. That takes time. Why should we put our lives on hold? I feel all groups should be asking the Hong Kong Government to put in domestic legislation, within its control, immediately, irrespective of CEDAW.'' She is also not waiting for government action following its Green Paper on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, published in August. The paper has been slammed by women's groups as only scratching the surface on women's issues. Ms Wu described it as a cosmetic gesture.
