On the lawmakers’ agenda

LRT DELAYS Continuous delays in the construction of the Macau LRT sections have triggered yet another verbal enquiry, this time by lawmakers Chan Meng Kam, who raised criticism over the management of public money and resources. The legislator recalled that private companies, such as casino operators, have been effective in using money to quickly build new properties. “In Macau, private construction works conducted by gaming concessionaires run at a fast pace, when they apply funds appropriately, and in many situations the facilities are up and running even before expected. This happens due to a specific reason: time is money!” he stressed. Chan Meng Kam said he couldn’t understand why the government has failed to apply public money properly in this particular public work, if lack of money is not an issue.  Furthermore, the lawmaker recalled that several companies won tenders to develop different LRT sections’ construction works and –
although well-intentioned – the measure led to inconsistent designs between different LRT sections, prompting different companies to also use different materials when building the LRT.

FUEL PRICES A limited decrease on fuel prices prompted lawmaker Kwan Tsui Hang to advocate for the revision of principles now governing the oil market. She recalled that although the international pricing of oil has decreased by 50 percent, the price only declined by 20 percent in Macau. She emphasized the need to put an end to cartel agreements. The legislator praised the government’s decision to re-adopt a licensing scheme to import petroleum products, but recalled that through this regime, it is impossible to put an end to the oligopolistic industry, which implies that the number of sellers is rather limited. She advocated for a full revision of the current market principles, urging the government to step up efforts to open up the market to new competitors. Lawmaker Ho Ion Sang also stressed that there are growing “deficiencies” in current oil pricing policies. He urged the government to revise and improve this mechanism, as petrol prices are among the Macau population’s concerns.

Appointed lawmakers Vong Hin Fai has said that recent statements pushing for a change in Macau’s current governance model, namely voices raised against the CE-appointed lawmakers, go against the territory’s Basic Law. He recalled that a group of individuals took issue with a particular view to “go against the governance model.” “The requests of this group, based on claims in favor of universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, are against Macau’s Basic Law and ignore the decisions of the Standing Committee of the NPC, and aims at dividing society,” he said.
Furthermore, he assured that, appointed lawmakers and directly and indirectly-elected legislators are required to do the same job. “There is no difference between them in terms of duties and work performed at the AL. Every lawmaker is here to serve the population, [the citizens’] interests and welfare.”