The most recently confirmed representative of the National People’s Congress (NPC) from Macau, Kevin Ho King Lun, has said that Macau and China are “not places that can be separated” in terms of work done by the NPC Macau representatives.
Ho succeeds the outgoing president of the Legislative Assembly, Ho Iat Seng, in becoming the 12th Macau delegate at the NPC.
Yesterday, in conversation with the Times, Ho said that the contributions of Macau-based NPC members to the development of both China and Macau were not mutually-exclusive. The work to develop one neither precludes, nor disproportionately affects, the other, he said.
Instead, work to the benefit of one would necessarily help the other.
“Being an NPC member, we of course contribute to both Macau and our country as a whole. Anything that’s beneficial, positive and good for the country will also be good for Macau. It’s not something we can differentiate,” said Ho.
In accordance with the representative quota and through a methodology as determined by the NPC, Macau’s delegates are elected by Chinese citizens who live in Macau.
Macau’s latest NPC delegate yesterday expressed a feeling of gratitude having been selected as a member. He said he is learning from other Macau NPC delegates in order to understand the fields he can delve into.
Addressing the role of Macau NPC representatives in the national organization, Ho believes that the 12 members must submit national information from the mainland to the SAR.
“We are representatives of Macau. I think that one of our key roles is to bring back to Macau people all the information we have from the central government,” said Ho. “I think that’s very important.”
At the same time, “we are trying our best […] to help Macau people become more engaged with the development of our country.”
“Macau has representatives inside the NPC, so we are a part of everything that’s happening in the country,” added Ho. “Our role is to pass information back to the Macau citizens about aspects and laws that affect Macau.”
Each year, the NPC holds its annual meeting in Beijing, where members voice their proposals. One of Ho’s focuses concerning his NPC work will be the development of the Greater Bay Area, encompassing nine mainland cities around the Pearl River estuary and the two Special Administrative Regions of Macau and Hong Kong.
“I think the key development around us, around Macau in the near future, has to be the Greater Bay Area. I think that, whether I’m a NPC member or whether I am just a Macau local citizen, I think we all have to focus on how we can be included in the rapid growth of the whole Greater Bay Area and how we can, as Macau citizens, be closely engaged in such development,” said Ho.
He also wants to encourage local Macau youth to become more involved in national development projects.
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