The national security law review should be conducted in such a way that “One country, two systems” will be well conserved, the Association of Synergy of Macao has stated.
Lawmaker Ron Lam is the group’s executive director.
October 5 saw the cessation of the public consultation period of the law review.
The group noted no prosecutions had been made under the current National Security Law, which is 13 years old. It considered this proof of the law’s effectiveness at safeguarding national security and social order. “Patriotism and the sense of belongingness to China have remained a piece of mainstream opinion in Macau,” the group concluded.
Nonetheless, the group has an opinion about the manner in which the public consultation texts were compiled.
Similar to its approach for the gaming law review, the government did not propose any specific provisions for the public to discuss. On the contrary, an overall direction as well as specific directions for several aspects were provided.
In its opinion, Lam’s group highlighted the aforementioned fact, emphasizing the consultation texts did not include any specific provisions. In addition, the group added, during public explanatory sessions, participating government officials did not clarify the definitions of certain terminology, such as instigation, incitement and subversion, which it fears will lead to “unnecessary speculation and worry.”
During the consultation period, officials further noted that, in the future, should a person like or repost social media posts suspected of breaching national security law, that person may be considered to have violated the new law through either instigation or incitement.
The group thus asked the government whether the public will be at risk of rash prosecutions for criticizing the government or its policies, or merely liking social media posts that do not truly constitute national security violations.
Reiterating its belief that most people in Macau are patriotic and their criticism on governance is based on the love of the land, the group suggested the government fulfil promises made during the consultation period. Such promises included upholding of the various freedoms and rights of the people in Macau, particularly those concerning speech, the press, assembly, protest, as well as supervision and criticism over the administration’s governance.
A line should also be clearly drawn between criticisms and incitement, so as to ensure members of the public will not easily fall foul of the law inadvertently, said the group.
