Coutinho accused gov’t of stirring social unrest by changing rules without consultation

Lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho opposes the government’s methods for amending the rules on eligibility for the annual cash handouts.

In a spoken inquiry delivered at the Legislative Assembly (AL) during the period preceding yesterday’s plenary session agenda, the lawmaker protested the lack of public consultation before the changes to eligibility rules.

The lawmaker remarked that the way the government proceeded sets a bad precedent that could eventually lead to the termination of the cash handout program without input from the public or the AL.

“Over the years, many citizens and several members of this chamber have argued that this scheme [Wealth Partaking Scheme] should be permanent, long-lasting, and regulated by special legislation to be approved by this Legislative Assembly. However, without consulting the citizens or this Assembly, the government, through Administrative Regulation No. 15/2023, unilaterally decided to stipulate that the program for allocating cash handouts would be ‘provisional’ in nature – contrary to the permanent nature that most citizens and some lawmakers have suggested over the years. In other words, next year, the Macau government, citing random reasons, could easily abolish it,” he said.

“The second surprise came with the implementation of the 183-day rule for the allocation of the scheme for the current year. Here, too, society, citizens, and the AL were never consulted on this important issue,’ he added.

The lawmaker expressed particular disagreement with the fact that the changes are retroactive, leaving citizens without any opportunity to respond or make informed personal and family decisions.

“Imposing rules today on events that occurred in 2024 in the allocation of the 2025 scheme is utterly unfair and unreasonable, because residents did not have the opportunity or time to adapt their family and professional lives to the requirements of the Administrative Regulation, which were only disclosed this year,” he said.

Additionally, Pereira Coutinho claimed that the regulation overlooks several exceptional cases involving hundreds of residents who will not receive the cash handout this year. Among these, he cited fishermen “who work on the high seas and are unable to meet the 183-day requirement.”

He also called on the government to publicly disclose the total amount of unallocated funds, where that money will be spent, the administrative costs of the new measures, and how many residents have been affected.

Pereira Coutinho accused the government of enforcing measures that contribute to public dissatisfaction and divisions among different social and ethnic groups.

He said this “could have been avoided if there had been common sense, skill, and political tact from the government,” adding, “this is not the right time to implement measures that cause social instability.”

The lawmaker also urged the government to implement an immediate subsidy policy for workers who have been working part-time for more than six consecutive months and earning low wages.