Gov’t accused of fencing AL surroundings ‘to prevent protests’

This May 2014 file pictures shows protesters standing in the lawn facing the AL

The New Macau Association (ANM) believes that a fence placed along a public lawn located in front of the Legislative Assembly is intended to prevent protests in the area.
One of Macau’s biggest demonstrations to date took place on the lawn in May last year, when about 20,000 people gathered to voice their concerns over new legislation providing the Chief Executive and other top officials with lavish compensation packages upon leaving office.
“The fact that they have put [a temporary] fencing structure there has already prevented protests from taking place there, I guess. The fencing was placed on the eve of Xi Jinping’s visit to Macau last year. I should state clearly that the purpose of putting the fencing there was clear: it was to prevent more demonstrations during Xi Jinping’s visit,” ANM member Jason Chao told The Times.
The association recalled that, “Without any form of public consultation or announcement, the IACM placed a fence along the lawn in front of the Legislative Assembly building on the eve of Xi Jinping’s visit to Macau in December.”
ANM added that the IACM justified the placement of temporary fencing with an ongoing “greening project,” which would allow residents to enjoy the outdoor space with the planting of new trees and a flower bed.
New Macau quotes a Macao Daily News report from January, in which it is revealed that the project comprises two phases: the first includes planting 25 trees and was completed in January this year, while the second consists of creating flower beds and is due to be completed by May or June this year.
However, Jason Chao noted that the recent removal of the fencing structure around the lawn unveiled not only trees and flowers being planted but also a bamboo fencing structure, “with no sign of leaving an opening area leading to the sidewalk.”
“The IACM’s story about the ‘greening project’ becomes hardly credible,” the association said in a press release.
“The lawn in front of the Legislative Assembly building is precious and is a famous place for all sorts of recreational activities – picnics, dog walking, watching firework displays. Of course, the mass demonstration on 27 May 2014 against the Compensation Bill has made the place the landmark for the rise of Macau’s civil society,” ANM reiterated.
The association believes that the “greening project” resulted in the enclosure of green spaces, which will seemingly no longer be available for public amusement.
The political activist said that ANM delivered a letter to IACM yesterday, requesting the institute confess everything about the whole project. It also urged IACM to remove the fences enclosing the lawn, and to restore public accessibility to the grass.
Chao stressed that ANM had decided to take action now since it will soon be too late. He concluded by saying that, “A letter to IACM will be delivered this afternoon [yesterday]. It’s important to get the news out now. If we cannot stop it, then it will escalate. They still have room to open up some parts to the public, as the fence is not completed yet. We think that if we don’t try to stop it now, we might not have the opportunity to do so in the future.”