AL Plenary | Lawmakers pass bill recognising construction professionals

Chui Sai On inspects the Lotus Flower Bridge Checkpoint between Cotai and Hengqin to learn about the new arrangements imposed for the 24-hour border crossing, which comes into effect today

A draft bill governing the recognition of construction and urban planning professionals passed its second reading after lawmakers voted in yesterday’s Legislative Assembly plenary meeting.
Its drafting, analysis and discussion process dragged on for over a year, yet the final version failed to meet lawmakers’ expectations. The bill’s article number 44, in particular, triggered further criticism from some lawmakers, who berated the lack of a rule that had previously been added to the legislation governing a possible conflict of interests in building or construction site inspections.
Six lawmakers voted against the article, which was to eliminate a mechanism that used to address a possible conflict of interest, by preventing contractors and site inspection technicians who hold family or business ties from working for the same project.
Lawmaker Lei Cheng I said that the public interest should have prevailed, particularly to avoid cases such as the Sin Fong Garden building, which was in risk of collapsing. The situation prompted the evacuation of 141 resident families in 2012.
“These mechanisms [to prevent conflict of interest] are intended to safeguard public interest and should have not been omitted. In the end the government did not add a rule, stating that the site inspector should be the one signing the liability waiver. Nor did it [include] a mechanism to prohibit contractors and technicians who have family or business ties [working on the same project],” she said.
The lawmaker recalled the Sin Fong Garden incident, and stressed that without such a rule it would be more difficult to ensure that building structures are safe.
The AL’s 1st Standing Committee, which discussed the draft bill throughout this year, was against the elimination of the conflict of interest mechanism in site and building inspections from the legislation. In yesterday’s Legislative Assembly plenary meeting, the outgoing Secretary for Transport and Public Works Lau Si Io clarified that the conflict of interest mechanism will be enshrined by an ethics code.
The bill also triggered criticism from a terminology and drafting point of view, as lawmaker Leonel Alves stressed that there were discrepancies between the Portuguese and Chinese drafts.
The revised bill will also allow the establishment of an Architecture, Engineering and Urban Planning Committee, which will be mostly comprised of representatives of Macau’s government, and dozens of professionals from these three sectors. Once it’s established, the committee will be divided into a general assembly and selected committees, which will be undertaking different duties.
Lau Si Io stressed that the revised bill is set to ensure and improve the quality of construction in Macau while ensuring professionalism.
The bill also stipulates that Macau residency is one of the requirements before construction and urban planning workers can register as accredited professionals in the city. In addition, all construction projects should be headed by a professional holding a Macau ID.
In yesterday’s plenary meeting, the Budget Law for next year also passed its second reading. The legislation includes a 6.75 percent pay rise for public servants, as promised by Macau’s leader Chui Sai On last month.
Another bill that saw the green light from lawmakers was a draft bill addressing the prevention and repression of corruption in foreign trade.