Our Desk: Awakening Macau

It took some time for Macau to become world-renowned for its magnificent and lucrative casinos. And the MSAR government is still working hard to create a second label for Macau as a “world center of tourism and leisure.” But recent political incidents have brought the city into international focus once again. Media sources in many different countries covered these incidents in numerous languages. Within a day after the unofficial referendum organized by five pro-democratic groups kicked off, police arrested five participants over allegations of illegally collecting personal data. The referendum, the results of which are not backed by the force of law, was originally meant to be open for voting in person and online. More than 8,600 people cast their votes, according to Sunday’s announcement. This number hugely exceeds the official 400-member CE electoral committee. Scott Chiang from the referendum’s organizing committee said: “By all means our civil referendum has surpassed any kind of election of the Chief Executive in Macau. It’s a pleasant surprise that Macau’s people are not afraid of political suppression anymore, at least in this civil referendum.”
The campaign has gone beyond organizers’ expectations, and also beyond the expectations of outsiders. The former Portuguese enclave has long been considered less concerned with politics than its neighbor Hong Kong. I remember a former Hong Kong journalist once said: “In Hong Kong, only [something in which] a large group of people took part can be called a ‘protest’ or ‘petition’. But in Macau only two or three people will do.”
This has been an ongoing process since  May, when thousands of residents took to the streets, demanding that Chief Executive Chui Sai On scrap the controversial perks bill.
The movement paved way for the long journey undertaken by the pan-democrats, led by the younger generation, who don’t like to follow the old “hidden rules” in politics or in business.
On the heels of the demonstration, casino workers took up the chance to protest, despite having been considered amongst the highest paid workers in the past. Hundreds petitioned, rallied, and protested, targeting different gaming operators over the past weeks; some movements even gained satisfying results. Their demands? Salary increases, the exclusion of foreign workers from certain casino jobs, improved benefits, and so on.
For a city with a shorter history of democracy and activism, the events that have taken place within these four months are unbelievable. The BBC remarked: “The rising frequency of street demonstrations suggests the city’s political awakening is just beginning.”
It seems that the future will not be easy for the Beijing-friendly re-elected CE Chui Sai On. The “candies” that worked effectively with the older generation may not find their mark amongst the rising youth.
The President of the Legislative Assembly, Ho Iat Seng, said recently in a summary of the AL’s sessional year that the Assembly should allow different voices, implying that the MSAR’s system of governance should do so as well. Without enough “conflicts” or differences of opinion, problems may arise – such as the mass demonstration against the perks bill.

Grace Yu