João Pedro Lau
Sulu Sou and Jason Chao (both standing)
Sulu Sou Ka Hou, 23, was elected the New Macau Association (ANM)president last night. The newly elected leader was chosen by the association’s council and claimed that he will participate more in social movements and strive to unite the association.
The election of the new president is the first item in the council meeting’s agenda, with Sou Ka Hou the sole candidate nominated.
Before the motion to elect him was put to vote, one of the council members said that he had noticed the situation where the former leaders of ANM were also members of other civil groups. Some other members, including Au Kam San, also said that they hope the new ANM president can focus more on the association’s development.
In response, Sou Ka Hou said that he wants to continue helping other civil groups, even after being elected. However, he has promised to gradually withdraw from other groups.
Eventually, out of 11 council members, nine of them voted for Sou and one against, with the last one being a blank ticket.
Two vice-presidents, Bill Chou and Cheng Ming Hin, were also elected, both receiving nine votes.
After the council meeting was finished, Sou Ka Hou told the media that he has a heavy responsibility and a long road ahead after becoming the new ANM president.
“This is an immense responsibility that is related to the future civil society and democratic development of Macau (…) I hope that there will be more chances for me to participate in community work. In the past, ANM has always tried to occupy the moral high ground and [focus on] political ideas. But this has led some residents to feel that there is a huge distance [between ANM] and themselves.”
The president said since he had not been part of ANM for long, he was not constrained by traditional conventions and practices. As a result, he said that ANM will continue to cooperate with other international organizations and participate in social movements.
“I also hope that I can get in touch with more young people through ANM. I won’t rule out making contacts with universities and, if possible, secondary schools,” Sou Ka Hou said.
Moreover, the new ANM president said that it is crucial to enlarge the scale of the civil society, and to encourage more people who participate in politics and social movements to come out and organize different groups that focus on the issues they are concerned about.
As for whether ANM will become more radical, he said that it is simply a matter of comparison to the condition of society. “Macau is like a dead pond. Even a fly can cause a huge wave. It depends on the situation of the society to determine whether we are radical or not.”
Sou Ka Hou added that he would not exclude any forms of action, as long as there is a united goal. “I believe that ANM is not a talk-only organization that discusses politics. We will also fight for [our demands] through different measures, no matter how mild or radical they are.”
He concluded that ANM is not a dot on the political spectrum and there should be differences in a democratic group. “We have to see if everybody has the same goal… As long as we have the same goal, we can use different methods to strive for the goal in unity.”
Last night’s election result was not a surprise, as Ng Kuok Cheong and Au Kam San have already indicated, when compiling a petition yesterday afternoon, that Sou Ka Hou will become the new president. They even referred to Sou as the president-elect before the council meeting.
Ng Kuok Cheong revealed that council members have already discussed Sou Ka Hou prior the election. “We have a common belief to support, as much as we can, young people to fill the positions such as president, in order to provide them with a better reputation in society, and to bring their talent into full play.”
As for their expectations of the new president, the lawmaker said that he expected Sou Ka Hou to “continue Sou’s style.” “He will learn more and have a better image. But now, he may maintain his style and maintain his work.”
Ng added that ANM, under Sou Ka Hou, will not be the most radical association in the society, “but one of the very active and rational.”
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