Au’s departure will not affect AL elections

On the sidelines of the ANM press conference yesterday, Jason Chao answered questions regarding the future of the association in light of Au Kam San’s recent departure.
“The New Macau Association is undergoing changes,” Chao said, before adding that “every association needs to rejuvenate itself.”
“When the old ideas come into conflict with the new ones – when they are not compatible – one [set of ideas] has to go,” surmised Chao.
The reasons behind Au’s sudden departure remain unclear, however some accounts speculated that the lawmaker claimed ANM had adopted arbitrary methods of processing membership applications.
“We are sorry to see him leave but it is much more important that the New Macau Association keeps moving forward, […] that we follow the best strategies but also stand firm [by our beliefs],” said Jason Chao.
Scott Chiang, president of ANM, added, “It’s a delicate art to compromise but we are not afraid to present our ideas and we stand by them.”
Asked whether ANM’s only remaining lawmaker, Ng Kuok Cheong, will follow in his former colleague’s footsteps, ANM leaders stressed that the two lawmakers were very different and the stance of one should not be assumed to apply to the other.
They added that Au’s departure would not affect upcoming elections for the Legislative Assembly (AL) next year.
“The election is still one year away,” said Scott Chiang, “and in political terms, that is a millennium.” DB