http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/53091-%E2%80%9Cdrop-it%2C-chui%21%E2%80%9D%E2%88%92-crowd-rallies-against-top-officials-compensation-bill.html
On 25/5/2014 Macau witnessed what some have dubbed the largest demonstrations since the 1999 handover. Organizers say that 20,000 people took to the streets and demanded that the Macau government retract the legislation that provides top officials with what the protesters considered an unreasonable level of compensation after leaving office, as well the Chief Executive’s immunity from prosecution. The police numbers indicate a much smaller crowd of 7,000 individuals.
The demonstrators suggested that it was an ultimatum to the CE Chui Sai On to drop the bill before the Legislative Assembly plenary meeting tomorrow. If the government does not comply, they will gather outside the AL building tomorrow.
The crowd started marching towards the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre around 3 p.m. yesterday. Participants chanted slogans, demanding that Chui Sai On drop the legislation and that the AL reject it. Some also called on the CE to resign.
The large crowd marched through Rua do Campo, Avenida de Dom João IV, Avenida Doutor Mario Soares and then turned into Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho. It took the leaders of the demonstration an hour to reach the Nautical Centre, while the tail of the group was still at Rua do Campo.
Protestors then moved towards the temporary tribune, which was prepared for the upcoming dragon boat races, where several members from the organizer and some high profile participants, such as lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho, gave speeches to the crowd.
Pereira Coutinho told the media that he could not have predicted the large turnout of yesterday’s rally. “In the past 15 years, there was never an issue that united Macau residents like this to clearly protest against the MSAR government’s high officials compensation legislation. I think the CE should retract the bill as soon as possible.”
The lawmaker argued that the event will affect Chui Sai On’s chance of re-election because “all 400 Electoral College members are his people.” However, Coutinho suggested that people will only respect a government official if the public trusts them. “You can ignore the people and rely on those 400 people to lead Macau. However, nobody will respect you.…If the CE wants the public to trust him, I hope he is going to drop the bill,” he said.
Another AL member, Ng Kuok Cheong, commented that the demonstration symbolized the awakening of the people, which he thinks is progress. He said that both government officials and lawmakers must follow the will of the people. “[The government] can pull back the legislation. If [the bill] is a reasonable one, the administration can introduce it again. With public discussion, it can build the system.” He admitted that the bill does have its merits. However, the government’s intention to avoid public consultation means that he has to oppose it.
Sou Ka Ho from Macau Conscience said he was proud of the protestors and claimed that if the bill becomes law on Tuesday, it will be an obstacle on Chui’s road towards re-election. He called on participants to join the gathering outside the AL building tomorrow. “We hope that residents can surround the AL and tell the lawmakers that they do not represent Macau residents. [The AL] has lost its power of supervision. It means that there will be more direct actions [by residents] in the future”, Sou Ka Ho said. He warned that if directly elected AL members support the bill, they will become public enemies and will risk their votes in the next election.
The Times spoke to several demonstrators, all of whom said that the legislation has damaged the image of the CE. Dan, a freelancer from the tourism industry, said that the government used the same strategy every time to force the public to accept its demands. She said that if the CE really has immunity from prosecution, he would not even need to go to jail, even if he stabs people. “Do we really have to let him deprive us of our rights?”
Mr Choi, a teacher, said that the legislation is outrageous and said that he will join the protestors outside the AL if the government does not retract the legislation.
Protestors later moved to the Penha Hill Garden to continue their demonstration, where the organizer prepared discussions, video clips and speeches. The gathering ended at 8 p.m.
In a statement, the Public Security Police said that six people were slightly injured, and that one of them was sent to the Conde de São Januário Hospital, but was later discharged.
Cheang Chi Keong revealed that they had just attended an emergency ExCo meeting before the conference. However, he refused to disclose the nature of the meeting and claimed that the request was their personal decision made as AL members. He also refused to say if the decision was related the protest yesterday afternoon. According to the AL Rules and Regulations, the request will be voted before the bill. If it passes the AL, the president can then decide whether to send the bill back to the Second Standing Committee, to another Standing Committee or to set up a special Committee to examine it.
The fact that the bill was set to be voted on in a plenary session only a few days after the Standing Committee signed the respective opinion document has led some to question whether it is a tactic to pass the bill swiftly and silence the critics.
When AL acting president Lam Heong Sang was asked two days ago about this, he claimed that when a bill is voted on it is not a personal decision and everything that takes place happens according to the regular procedure.
“This is done according to normal practice. Maybe people think the issue is controversial and have different opinions thus they think the process was too fast,” he said. Talking to journalists on Saturday, he reiterated that the AL is “following the rules of procedure.” He was angered when a journalist asked him if the AL was sacrificing public opinion for the sake of procedures. “You are setting me up. You have already set me up. (…) You are of low level,” he answered. JPL
On 25/5/2014 Macau witnessed what some have dubbed the largest demonstrations since the 1999 handover. Organizers say that 20,000 people took to the streets and demanded that the Macau government retract the legislation that provides top officials with what the protesters considered an unreasonable level of compensation after leaving office, as well the Chief Executive’s immunity from prosecution. The police numbers indicate a much smaller crowd of 7,000 individuals.
The demonstrators suggested that it was an ultimatum to the CE Chui Sai On to drop the bill before the Legislative Assembly plenary meeting tomorrow. If the government does not comply, they will gather outside the AL building tomorrow.
The crowd started marching towards the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre around 3 p.m. yesterday. Participants chanted slogans, demanding that Chui Sai On drop the legislation and that the AL reject it. Some also called on the CE to resign.
The large crowd marched through Rua do Campo, Avenida de Dom João IV, Avenida Doutor Mario Soares and then turned into Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho. It took the leaders of the demonstration an hour to reach the Nautical Centre, while the tail of the group was still at Rua do Campo.
Protestors then moved towards the temporary tribune, which was prepared for the upcoming dragon boat races, where several members from the organizer and some high profile participants, such as lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho, gave speeches to the crowd.
Pereira Coutinho told the media that he could not have predicted the large turnout of yesterday’s rally. “In the past 15 years, there was never an issue that united Macau residents like this to clearly protest against the MSAR government’s high officials compensation legislation. I think the CE should retract the bill as soon as possible.”
The lawmaker argued that the event will affect Chui Sai On’s chance of re-election because “all 400 Electoral College members are his people.” However, Coutinho suggested that people will only respect a government official if the public trusts them. “You can ignore the people and rely on those 400 people to lead Macau. However, nobody will respect you.…If the CE wants the public to trust him, I hope he is going to drop the bill,” he said.
Another AL member, Ng Kuok Cheong, commented that the demonstration symbolized the awakening of the people, which he thinks is progress. He said that both government officials and lawmakers must follow the will of the people. “[The government] can pull back the legislation. If [the bill] is a reasonable one, the administration can introduce it again. With public discussion, it can build the system.” He admitted that the bill does have its merits. However, the government’s intention to avoid public consultation means that he has to oppose it.
Sou Ka Ho from Macau Conscience said he was proud of the protestors and claimed that if the bill becomes law on Tuesday, it will be an obstacle on Chui’s road towards re-election. He called on participants to join the gathering outside the AL building tomorrow. “We hope that residents can surround the AL and tell the lawmakers that they do not represent Macau residents. [The AL] has lost its power of supervision. It means that there will be more direct actions [by residents] in the future”, Sou Ka Ho said. He warned that if directly elected AL members support the bill, they will become public enemies and will risk their votes in the next election.
The Times spoke to several demonstrators, all of whom said that the legislation has damaged the image of the CE. Dan, a freelancer from the tourism industry, said that the government used the same strategy every time to force the public to accept its demands. She said that if the CE really has immunity from prosecution, he would not even need to go to jail, even if he stabs people. “Do we really have to let him deprive us of our rights?”
Mr Choi, a teacher, said that the legislation is outrageous and said that he will join the protestors outside the AL if the government does not retract the legislation.
Protestors later moved to the Penha Hill Garden to continue their demonstration, where the organizer prepared discussions, video clips and speeches. The gathering ended at 8 p.m.
In a statement, the Public Security Police said that six people were slightly injured, and that one of them was sent to the Conde de São Januário Hospital, but was later discharged.
Counter protest held to support gov’t
The Jiangmen Communal Society organized a demonstration yesterday to express their support for the compensation bill. The vice president of the Society, Wu Chou Kit, said that the legislation is reasonable and people should not oppose it for the sake of opposition. However, one of the participants told reporters that he did not know what the bill was about, and was only showing his support because he is a member of the Society. Another demonstrator even claimed that he does not support the compensation of high officials. Wu Chou Kit said that he could not control how the participants think and rebuffed claims that they had paid people to join the demonstration.Protest sweeps social media
While demonstrators took their demands to the street, some used the Internet as a platform to express their opinions. Macanese resident Sergio Perez said on Facebook that he was surprised by the protest and praised people for making use of their civil rights. He added that it is a chance for the authorities to rethink other current affairs. Another user said that it was the first time that he took part in a rally and said that it was a “awe-inspiring day” for him to walk with 20,000 people. Many also shared the news, video clips and photos of the demonstration.Alexis tam says gov’t is studying the issue
The Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive, Alexis Tam, said that he has noticed the demonstration held by the public regarding the high officials’ compensation scheme. He claimed that the government respects people’s demands, but did not indicate clearly whether the bill will be retracted, only saying that the government is studying the issue and will provide a media response soon.Lawmakers request re-examination of the bill
AL members Cheang Chi Keong, Chan Meng Kam and Leonel Alves called a late night press conference yesterday, announcing that they have submitted a request to the AL President Ho Iat Seng to ask him to send the compensation bill to an AL committee for further examination. The three lawmakers are also members of the Executive Council (ExCo).Cheang Chi Keong revealed that they had just attended an emergency ExCo meeting before the conference. However, he refused to disclose the nature of the meeting and claimed that the request was their personal decision made as AL members. He also refused to say if the decision was related the protest yesterday afternoon. According to the AL Rules and Regulations, the request will be voted before the bill. If it passes the AL, the president can then decide whether to send the bill back to the Second Standing Committee, to another Standing Committee or to set up a special Committee to examine it.
The fact that the bill was set to be voted on in a plenary session only a few days after the Standing Committee signed the respective opinion document has led some to question whether it is a tactic to pass the bill swiftly and silence the critics.
When AL acting president Lam Heong Sang was asked two days ago about this, he claimed that when a bill is voted on it is not a personal decision and everything that takes place happens according to the regular procedure.
“This is done according to normal practice. Maybe people think the issue is controversial and have different opinions thus they think the process was too fast,” he said. Talking to journalists on Saturday, he reiterated that the AL is “following the rules of procedure.” He was angered when a journalist asked him if the AL was sacrificing public opinion for the sake of procedures. “You are setting me up. You have already set me up. (…) You are of low level,” he answered. JPL
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