Debate contribution: Anna Lo

Debate contribution by Ms Kate Nicholl on 11 November 2024.

MLA

Ms Kate Nicholl

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

11 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Assembly Business

Heading

Anna Lo

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4667027

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I first met Anna Lo when I joined her office as a work experience student 12 years ago. She was the first person for whom I ever voted, and the more I got to know her, the more I respected her. She talked about issues that others were often too afraid to talk about. As Claire said, she wore a leather jacket. She bought that jacket because she did a course on women in leadership, where they said that men had to wear blazers in the Chamber so women should wear jackets too. I think that Anna got a leather jacket out of spite and to take that advice on board. Anna somehow managed to deliver brutal honesty with so much warmth. Jenna and Cathy, who are my work sisters, are in the Public Gallery, but, once, another one of my colleagues, who is in America, got a haircut. She came in, and Anna said, "Did you get a haircut?". My colleague said, "Yes, do you like it?", and Anna said, "No".

Anna never lied. She wondered how dishonest people kept track of what they said. It was not just us who she was direct with. She told constituents when she thought that they were being unreasonable. She told other politicians when she did not like their behaviour, and party policy rarely dissuaded her from saying what she thought. Anna taught me so much about the value of hard work. The ushers will remember frequently having to go up to her office to check when she was going home so that they could lock up, because she was the last person here, diligently reading her Committee papers late into the night. She told me that you can never please everyone, but, if you stick to your values, you maintain your integrity. Mostly, she showed me how politics can be done with kindness and empathy, which goes so much further than one-upmanship or bitterly fixating on difference and the past. Born in Hong Kong, Anna left school at an early age, but her thirst for knowledge never left her. She knew what it was like to be denied opportunities and to feel like an outsider, so she built a career that was founded on inclusivity as a police interpreter, a social worker, the director of the Chinese Welfare Association and, later, as Alliance MLA for South Belfast. Anna was never particularly interested in political theory or strategy; she was just interested in people and making their lives a bit better. She made so many people's lives better, including my own. Suzanne Breen said that she was good fun, and she was so much fun. Despite so many personal and professional challenges, she lived her life with such energy and optimism. There was a pure, almost childlike joy about her. Anna loved the arts, the environment, going for walks, good food — she was an amazing cook — and spending time with her many friends, but her greatest love was her two sons, Conall and Owen. She would tell anyone who would listen how accomplished they were, their achievements, how they were doing in university and how they were so handsome. She used to tell me that, if I wanted children, I needed to find a Chinese husband. Any time she saw beautiful children, she said, "Oh, they are gorgeous. You know, my children are gorgeous too. They are Eurasian". She was so funny and so proud of her sons. She leaves a remarkable legacy for her children and grandchildren, whom she so adored. A life of hard work and service had not given her the time for herself that she richly deserved, yet she never seemed to age. In fact, that almost reversed in retirement, and meeting Robert was life-enhancing. Every time I saw her, she was glowing — days filled with painting, swimming, gardening and travel. The cruellest part of her passing is that the life that she had so longed for and that she was finally living has been cut short. Principled, inclusive, warm and brave, Anna Lo embodied everything that we need more of in politics and in life. My work mum, my mentor, my inspiration, my friend. I cannot believe that she has gone, but I am so glad that, before she went, I got to tell her that I loved her, because I really did. All who loved her will feel her loss profoundly, particularly Conall, Owen and Robert. We will remember Anna Lo for ever.

750 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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