Ng Kuok Cheong pictured during the press conference
Sulu Sou and Ng Kuok Cheong, both members of the New Macau Association (ANM) voiced their expectations and concerns regarding the Iec Long Firecracker Factory land swap, which was deemed illegal by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) last week.
In a press conference held Friday at the ANM headquarters, association representatives claimed that there are two areas in this case that urgently need to be addressed according to the former president of the ANM, Sulu Sou.
ANM is urging the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) to pursue the investigations and bring those “held responsible to justice.” The association is also claiming that, in light of the CCAC report, the government has the duty to pursue the recovery of lost public resources.
Questioned by the Times on the sidelines of the press conference, lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong said that “it should be the secretary [for Transport and Public Works] to lead the process to claim the government interests and not DSSOPT.” Ng indicated that he sees the secretary Raimundo do Rosário as a competent individual and above all, an individual with no prior connections to the case.
According to Ng, this “first step” in protecting the public interest should start as soon as possible and should be as simple as claiming the land back, or finding an equivalent compensation if the first option is not possible anymore. “The government should claim the land back or [acquire] a compensation,” he said.
Regarding eventual legal consequences, the ANM lawmaker thinks that it is up to the government to “submit complete information to the procurator [public prosecutor]” in order to find and hold responsible the people accountable and thereby “protect the interests of Macau SAR government and the public.”
In Ng’s opinion, the reasons behind cases like this are related to “political interests” and a “political struggle”, resulting from the fact that “from 1999 until now the government and the bourgeoisie have had a very close connection, and they have been transferring interests to different bourgeoisie families but some of them do not stop. They ask for more and exert continuous pressure on the government, and therefore there is a political struggle [like what is] happening now.”
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