AL election | Gaming operators should be neutral during campaign

The Electoral Affairs Commission of the Legislative Assembly (CAEAL), the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) held a meeting with representatives of the six casino gaming operators and the junket promoter association.

During yesterday’s meeting, the CAEAL and the CCAC reminded the casino operators and junket promoters to obey the newly amended election regulations which require the gaming operators to be neutral for the election.

Tong Hio Fong, chairman of CAEAL, noted in the meeting that gaming operators cannot request that their employees sign lists in support of nominated lawmakers endorsed by gaming operators.

Additionally, government representatives and the gaming operators discussed the publicity materials and methods which the gaming operators must avoid  displaying inside the casinos.

Fairness and impartiality are the CAEAL and the CCAC’s requirements for the gaming operators and junket promoters during the election.

“Gaming operators cannot interfere in the election through their names or by means of their resources as to aid or compromise some candidates,” said CCAC commissioner André Cheong. He emphasized that “it is certainly not allowed” to publicize materials or display them in the casinos, or to call people to support specific candidates, because it undermines the principle of neutrality.

Gaming operators and junket promoters are not the only ones who will be regulated. Employees from the gaming sector are also subject to these regulations. “Workers on-duty in the casinos are also restricted by the regulations,” said Cheong, adding that “they cannot allow any candidate list to reap benefits or be compromised.”

According to Cheong, Macau’s law grants the CCAC the right to supervise the AL election. The bureau is currently inspecting locations across the city to confirm that no electoral violations are occurring.

“If we consider that some places pose risks of election bribery, we will inspect them,” declared Cheong. These inspections are expected to include casinos and casino VIP rooms.

A maximum of three years in prison can be used as punishment for breaking regulations on fairness and neutrality, according to Cheong. He additionally noted that the neutrality regulations do not affect candidates from the gaming sector. Cheong explained that if they obey the neutrality and fairness obligations, then “the law does not require the candidates to step down from their positions, […] the law does not require them to quit their jobs.”

Disparate versions of the law

During yesterday’s event, the recent instance of misunderstandings in relation to the interpretation of the Electoral Law was addressed. The case was partly a result of disparate translations of the law in Chinese, Portuguese and English. This was brought to attention after the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election found two instances of individuals signing the nomination papers of more than one nomination committee and forwarded the cases to the police. The representatives said that the government has already met with the involved parties, and that further details will be disclosed in a report after the AL election.