Chui Sai On was accompanied by lawmaker Chan Meng Kam and Executive Council spokesperson Leong Heng Teng
Chui Sai On visited the Northern District yesterday afternoon while campaigning for his re-election. Several residents and civil organizations, including the New Macau Association (ANM), handed petitions to him.
Yet the large number of residents attempting to approach Chui and the amount of journalists present created chaos.
The sole CE candidate later apologized for the event and stressed that he respects freedom of the press. He also maintained his distance from the University of Macau’s decision not to renew a contract with scholar Bill Chou.
Chui Sai On’s campaign office scheduled his visit for 4 p.m. yesterday. When the CE candidate arrived at the park on Rua Quatro do Bairro Iao Hon, a crowd had already gathered there.
Mr Chui was accompanied by lawmaker Chan Meng Kam and Executive Council spokesperson Leong Heng Teng.
The moment he set foot in the park, residents and media rushed towards him.
The CE accepted letters from organizations such as the Macau Federation of Family Reunion and the New Macau Association. One elderly resident was even seen kneeling in front of him.
Later, Chui Sai On entered a café and stayed there for almost ten minutes. He told the journalists that he had visited other regions without media present.
Some reporters were unhappy because they were blocked outside the café. Sulu So Ka Hou, ANM’s president, shouted outside the venue and accused Chui Sai On of disrespecting freedom of the press by blocking the media.
Moreover, the staff of Mr Chui’s campaigning office initially claimed that the candidate would speak to the media on the street, but reporters soon saw him being rushed into a vehicle before departing.
Chui Sai On’s campaign staff then told the media that they had arranged vehicles to take the reporters to the World Trade Centre (WTC) in order to interview the CE candidate.
At WTC, Chui Sai On first apologized for the inconvenience. He said that the chaos was caused by misinformation and praised his team for their efforts.
“My colleagues have worked very hard… My colleagues had informed me [of the arrangement], but I am a little bit lost because it was very crowded.”
He also promised to review his way of visiting the community.
In terms of the opinions he gathered during yesterday’s visit, Chui Sai On said that his team would process the letters he had received in the following two days.
“In general, there are several types of opinions, including family reunions, (…) the repair of old buildings in the Northern District, [and] the necessary improvement on the area’s living environment. I have also received letters of complaint regarding medical [malpractice] and letters from elderly residents requesting elderly services,” Mr Chui said.
Furthermore, several reporters again asked him to comment on the controversial decision by the University of Macau (UM) not to renew its contract with scholar Bill Chou.
Chui Sai On stressed that he “did not do anything behind the scenes.” As the chancellor, Mr Chui said that he was not authorized to manage the human resources or finances of UM.
He also claimed to have no knowledge of the details of the incident. “I have not even digested [the news]. I am really busy these days (…) Let me learn more about it first, all right?”
Chui Sai On reiterated that he respects the autonomy of UM, but did not address the question on whether there will be an independent investigation into the issue. However, he claimed that nobody will oppose further clarification from UM on the university’s decision.
new macau confronts ce with universal suffrage demands
Sulu Sou revealed that the petition he handed to Chui Sai On is related to the implementation of universal suffrage in the CE election. He said that Chui promised to “look into” the issue. He also criticized the CE for being too passive on political reform and said that he should show the willingness to speak up for Macau residents as leader and representative of the MSAR.
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