The decision by Martin Lee Chu-ming to step down from the Legislative Council marks the end of an era. He departs having never been defeated in an open election. But it is not just this achievement which has secured him a prominent place in Hong Kong's history. Mr Lee has long been the city's most tireless - and famous - champion of democracy.
Hong Kong still does not have universal suffrage. But it is doubtful we could have got this far - with promises from Beijing of a direct election for the chief executive in 2017 and perhaps for all Legco seats in 2020 - if Mr Lee and the democrats had not steadfastly fought for democracy over the past two decades.
His actions and pronouncements have often been controversial; sometimes they appear foolhardy or rash. Mr Lee's habit of rushing off to Washington to testify about the state of democracy in the city annoys not only Beijing and its allies in Hong Kong but also many locals who share his cause. And his article published in October in The Wall Street Journal, during his most recent US trip, was ill advised. It called on US President George W. Bush to use the Beijing Olympics as an occasion to pressure the country to improve its human rights record. This prompted even his own party to clarify its stance and pledge its unreserved support for the Olympic Games in patriotic terms.
However, no one can doubt Mr Lee's sincerity and commitment. He has been an icon during key moments in the city's tumultuous recent history. Images of Mr Lee and fellow democrats marching alongside a million people to Central to protest against the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 are firmly lodged in the collective memory. And who could forget his raised-fist vow to return to Legco as the clock approached midnight on the night of the handover in 1997? The democrats went on to win resounding victories in Legco elections the following year.
But in recent times Mr Lee's popularity has declined - and so has that of his Democratic Party. Since 2000, the rival Beijing-friendly Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has gained votes at its expense. The Civic Party, which also has impeccable democratic credentials, has increasingly eclipsed it. But through it all, Mr Lee has never wavered. This, some would argue, is his greatest asset. But it could also be seen as his biggest failing.
The famous German sociologist Max Weber made a distinction between two types of ethics: absolute morality and responsibility for consequences. Every good politician, except the most cynical, has to navigate between the two with every decision.
