AL president: Controversial bills to be postponed

Ho Iat Seng

The president of the Legislative Assembly (AL) Ho Iat Seng announced at the AL’s Open Day on Saturday that the government and the law-making body have come to an agreement regarding several “controversial” bills, which will now be postponed until the next legislative term.
The controversial bills in question include the consumer protection bill and taxi regulation bill, which Ho confirmed would not be considered until the next term begins.
The current term is set to expire in August 2017. Until then, lawmakers will focus on the remaining, less controversial bills, hoping to reach an agreement on them.
“For example, the revision on sexual crimes [in] the Criminal Code only adds two to three terms and conditions. We have a mutual understanding. They have been discussed for so long. If they are sent to the Legislative Assembly, we would go through [them] as much as we could,” the AL president said, as cited by public broadcaster TDM.
“However, if the entire bill is a newly-legislated one, or a new bill that begins at a structural level, I think there would be more terms and conditions. It would take more time,” he added.
Ho also said that the report on lawmaker Gabriel Tong’s proposal for the Land Act should be completed within the first quarter of 2017.
During the event, lawmakers attempted to outline the legislative body’s daily tasks to the public and visiting students. Some 2,000 residents were estimated to have attended the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to TDM, teachers present at the event informed the broadcaster that they have already begun teaching aspects of the Basic Law as well as Macau’s administrative system in high schools.
One teacher stated that the visit would help students “to understand the workings and the function of the Legislative Assembly [… and] its structure as well.”