‘Go-slow’ protest turnout lower than expected

Leong Veng Chai speaks with reporters on the sidelines of the protest

The “Go-slow” protest, which was finally held on Saturday, attracted fewer demonstrators than initially expected.

The demonstration, a protest against fee hikes regarding several services and penalties under the Transport Bureau (DSAT), gathered around 100 vehicles and about 150 people. The protestors traveled from the Legislative Assembly (AL) Square to Taipa and back, ending with the delivery of the petition at the government headquarters.

The organizers cited different figures. Lawmaker Leong Veng Chai claimed that around 300 vehicles participated in the protest, fulfilling “the organizers’ expectations.”

However, this number still falls short of the expectations previously disclosed by the group at the press conference announcing the protest. There, Lei Kit Meng, protest organizer and leader of the Workers’ Self-help Union Macau, had also claimed that “at least 500 cars from [his] association are expected to be involved.”

Initially scheduled for February 11, the “Go-slow” protest was postponed by a week due to lack of consensus between the organizers and the police authorities regarding the protest route.

The protest organizers eventually agreed to follow the route chosen by the police. After the event, the organizers issued a statement saying that the protest had proceeded peacefully and without incident.

However, media sources reported several minor incidents before the motorcade left the AL Square. One of these was a dispute between a protestor and the police, allegedly because the driver could not provide a valid driver’s license upon the authorities’ request.

The petition called for the sacking of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosario, a sentiment initially expressed by Pereira Coutinho during the first press conference.

The petition also stated that the executive order “was precipitated and was granted without obtaining public consensus, which fails to meet the principles of the Code of Administrative Procedure.”
Pereira Coutinho was notably absent from the demonstration, as he was one of the faces of the protest and had already missed the last press conference on Thursday. When questioned on the topic, Leong explained that his partner was “busy handling some ‘personal issues’.” RM