Importance of loyalty oath emphasized during AL visit

The AL president Ho Iat Seng shakes hands with Zhang

Legislative Assembly (AL) president Ho Iat Seng personally briefed Zhang Dejiang on the AL’s daily operations.

Zhang then took a group photo with the current lawmakers, upon which he voiced three additional hopes.

Firstly, he declared that every single lawmaker should take an oath of loyalty to Macau and its Basic Law.

Secondly, he said that Macau’s legal system has room for progression.

“Lawmakers should be good at comprehending the exercise behind the One Country Two Systems, and at comprehending the practical needs of Macau’s economic development. Moreover, they should pay attention to the enhancement of the coordination with administrative organizations, thus pushing forward the SAR’s legal works,” said Zhang, adding that “lawmakers should express all sectors’ needs objectively, and should supervise the government’s administration rationally.”

In a possible reference to recent developments in Hong Kong, the NPC chairman added that “Macau should insist on democratic, cooperative, and negotiable discussions. Lawmakers should refuse adjourning the meetings [or] turning the meetings into violence, among other unhealthy phenomenon.”

After leaving the AL, Zhang Dejiang visited the Court of Final Appeal. Judge Sam Hou Fai, together with Prosecutor-General Ip Son Sang, gave Zhang an overview of the court and the prosecution office.

Zhang praised Macau’s judiciary work and expressed his hopes that Macau’s judges and prosecutors will perform their duties prudently and lawfully to defend the people’s rights, so that “under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy, the city can protect the leading roles of the government’s administration.”

The NPC Chairman said judicial officials should continue to develop their skills and increase their legal knowledge, as they exercise influence on the quality and the implementation of the law. He concluded by saying that knowledge of local law should be more widely promoted in Macau.

Zhang’s visit marked the first time that one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party had visited Macau’s local parliament. JZ