Our Desk | Who cares for the ‘common people’?

Renato Marques

It is common to hear that in all kinds of parliaments, legislative assemblies or councils across the planet, the “representatives of the people” are seated.

In some cases, these representatives are elected by universal suffrage. In others, they are elected, selected or appointed by councils or even directly by governments.

What I want to discuss here is not exactly what is the “best” or the “most democratic” system, as I am often reminded by experience that “the best system is the one that works.”

Instead, what I wish to discuss is the composition of these legislative bodies, in particular the one whose decisions directly affect my daily life.

You might think it is a bit self-centered to put things like that, but if you think a little further, you might find it is not.

I consider myself a “common person”; a common citizen, I would say. I have a job, I work, I pay my bills, I rent an apartment, I take public as well as private transportation, I eat mostly at home but also in restaurants and, last but not least, I hold a Macau permanent resident Identification Card (BIR). As such, I’m a registered voter.

Like some other local voters, I want my voice to be heard in the upcoming elections for the Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) but the problem that I face is: for whom should I vote? It should be simple! Like anywhere else in the world, you should vote for the candidate who puts forward the best ideas for the country/territory, or at least the person who makes you feel that they will best protect your interests.

But the question for which I can’t find an easy answer is: which candidate stands for the “common citizen” like myself?

Looking at the AL, I can see lawmakers that stand for the construction sector, the entrepreneurs, the SMEs, the civil servants, and even the security forces. I see some that clearly state they defend the “workers”, but I am neither a casino employee nor a “worker” in the communist sense.

I keep searching the spectrum and I find some that say they stand for women, which does not fit me either. As for the others, well, they pretty much seem like they stand for no one but themselves and their personal and familial interests.

So my question persists: Is there anyone who can stand for the people like me?

Browsing the official statistics, I realize that the number of “common citizens” is in fact quite significant, with the number of employees in the retail sector alone reaching almost 35,000 in the third quarter of 2016. If we add this number to that of people working in hotels and restaurants, we get a figure of over 100,000 people, which is about threefold the number of civil servants and about 20 percent more than those employed in the gaming sector.

Even more confusing: if these “common people” are such an important share of the local workforce, why does nobody stand for them – by which I mean us?

These are the people getting 12 months’ salary a year (not 13 or 14). These are the people performing the same level of tasks as many in the public sector for at least one-third less of the salary. These are the ones that struggle to pay rent and are not entitled to any housing subsidies. These are the ones doing unpaid overtime on a daily basis, all to support companies that give them nothing but a contract that stipulates a 15-day notice of termination.