Gov’t submits draft to amend oath-taking law

To align with national security legislation, the SAR government has proposed an amendment to the oath of upholding Macau’s Basic Law during the inauguration of government officials.

The Executive Council has completed discussions on the relevant bills, which will be sent to the Legislative Assembly for review and voting.

By studying and referring to similar provisions in neighboring regions and considering the specific situation of Macau SAR, the government aims to ensure that Macau takes a step forward in implementing the principle of “Macau governed by patriots,” said the spokesperson of the Executive Council and Secretary for Administration and André Cheong.

The amendments are intended to ensure government officials sincerely and respectfully swear their oaths.

Consequently, the oath of upholding the Macau’s Basic Law, which all officials take during their inauguration, will undergo changes.

The amendments include several provisions.

Officials are prohibited from taking the oath in an insincere or non-serious manner.

Second, officials must sign a declaration of sincerity.

Finally, an independent overseer from the Electoral Commission will ensure transparency throughout the inauguration process.

This overseer will be able to invalidate an official’s inauguration if they determine the official exhibited disrespectful behavior while reading the oath, read the oath incorrectly, or showed disrespect towards the inauguration procedures.

If the overseer observes any of these behaviors, the official’s inauguration may be voided without any opportunity for a second chance.

The director of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Leong Weng In, said during the press conference that if the oath-taker is deemed to have refused to take the oath, he will be immediately disqualified from taking office and cannot take the oath again or make up for it. Staff Reporter