AL Plenary | Lawmakers deem high officials accountable for problems reported by CCAC

Several lawmakers posed questions yesterday to the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, regarding the government’s method of handling the problems reported by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) and by the Commission of Audit (CA). The secretary pledged to improve mechanisms for accountability of officials as well as legal training.

During yesterday’s Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary meeting, Ng Kuok Cheong said that the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) took action following the CCAC’s report that condemned the IC’s recruitment of outsourced staff.

Ng noted that reactions of different governmental departments towards the report were witnessed by the public. Some departments, however, did not apply disciplinary procedures or provide a public explanation, thus allowing the CCAC’s reported problems to continue.

Regarding the undertaking of responsibilities, Ng stated, “after things are unveiled, [the government] says it will enhance supervision, and will make up for previous works.”

The lawmaker wanted to know the consequences of the “previous works” frequently mentioned by the government.

He also pointed out that many cases were only disclosed after a few departments were dismissed. Those who should be accountable for these cases have “already left.”

Ng then encouraged the government to “reveal how many people left [their work] for being accountable [for the problems], and how many left without having been asked to assume responsibilities.”

Si Ka Lon, following Ng’s statements, said that if the CCAC’s and the CA’s criticisms are not addressed, it will crumble the departments’ energy.

“Main government officials must pay importance to it; someone should be responsible for these things,” declared Si.

Ho Ion Sang noted that government officials worked but “were not held accountable.”

Furthermore, Ho pointed out that high officials are either retired or were moved to other departments after the reports by the CCAC and the CA came out.

Au Kam San regarded the CCAC and the CA as the hands of the Chief Executive, with the former working for integrity and the latter for efficiency.

Leong Veng Chai continued his questions to Chan. During the last AL plenary meeting, he said there were many government departments which violated regulations during their recruitment.

“What do you reckon when several recruitments within the Legal Affairs Bureau [DSAJ] violated regulations? […] I think you should review the recruiting process, and also review what you said,” said Leong.

Chan first replied to Leong, explaining that her departments will correct their problems. She noted that the government has reached an agreement regarding the civil servant system.

According to Chan’s statement, the Macau government has decided to spend effort developing the government’s integrity. Moreover, according to the secretary, less than 1 percent of the work conducted by the city’s high officials is considered to be in need of improvement.

Government reports regarding the working behavior of Macau leaders in the year of 2016, show that nearly two-thirds of the city’s high officials received evaluations classified as “good” or above. Approximately one-third received “ok” or “expected”.

Regarding leadership capability, around 88 percent of the governors were evaluated as “good” or above, while 11 percent obtained a “pass”. This supports Chan’s comments that only about 1 percent of government officials need to improve.

Regarding the sense of morality and the sense of responsibility while on-duty, 93 percent of the governors were assessed as “good” or above, while another 7 percent were rated lower but passed the evaluation, and less than 1 percent needed improvement.

On the lawmakers’ agenda

Electronic payment Angela Leong pointed out that the majority of Macau’s tourists are from mainland China, with mainland studies showing that Alipay and WeChat Pay have become the preferred mobile payment platforms among mainland residents. Leong noted that Macau’s mobile payment coverage is at a low percentage, as only a small number of large restaurants and retail companies have an installed electronic payment systems.  The lawmaker claimed that regarding the sectors of transportation, medicine, services, and government departments, Macau does not provide an electronic payment platform, which means the city has a long way to go towards becoming a smart city. Leong questioned the authority on whether it will consider the installment of electronic payment systems within government departments.

Pool Hygiene Chan Hong says that the government’s previous swimming pool hygiene tests indicated that the city’s public pool hygiene management needs to be improved. Chan mentioned that the pools in the city’s hotels are under the responsibility of the city’s tourism authority, and that the latter provides instructions regarding the maintenance of these pools. Chan said that the instructions are merely suggestions, which are insufficient to secure the hygiene of pools in hotels. Chan questioned the government on whether it will issue a unified pool management license. The lawmaker also wanted to know whether the government will require a specific number of mandatory lifeguards at all public pools.

Elevator maintenance Kwan Tsui Hang stated that the city has “nearly blank supervision” towards mechanical and electrical engineering projects. Kwan noted that back in 2014, Macau had 5,193 declared elevators – however, according to a government report last year, only roughly 1,200 elevators obtained an annual safe operation certificate. Kwan says that the city’s elevator maintenance and operation regulations have already been implemented for four years. Kwan noted that the regulations are not mandatory and have no punishment provisions. The lawmaker questioned whether the government has any supervision of the operation of the city’s elevators at all.

Many questions about Iec Long Firecracker factory

Lawmakers have pressed the government for further explanation on a land swap deal related to the former Iec Long Firecracker Factory, which was reported by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) last year.

The factory was reported to have gained thousands of square meters of public land from the government according to an agreement signed between the owners of the factory and the administration.

A report issued by the CCAC in 2016 indicated that the agreement was invalid.

Many lawmakers questioned whether violation of the regulations or illegal behavior was involved in the agreement.

Lawmaker Song Pek Kit doubted that any sense of responsibility was being instilled in government high officials regarding this case.

“The lands belong to all the residents of Macau,” said Song, adding that the Macau public cannot trust the government if the land was swapped that easily. “The government cannot explain [its actions] to the public.”

Lawmaker Lei Cheng I further questioned how the government followed up on the case. Lei says that the “CCAC’s report has a small effect regarding the Iec Long Firecracker Factory.”

The head of the Land Management Department of the Land at the Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), Américo Viseu, disclosed that the investigations have concluded that the part of the factory’s lands in question are indeed private lands.

Furthermore, the DSSOPT official declared that the bureau has already completed an investigation report into the lands, and has issued a notice to related people to clean the factory site and move out from the area within 60 days.

The government will reclaim the lands after this period. Moreover, Américo Viseu noted that the land swap incident was reported to the CCAC by Raimundo do Rosário, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, who took the initiative to compel the CCAC to investigate the case.

Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, added that the DSSOPT will follow up the case.