More debate proposals voted down; proposers not happy

Wu Chou Kit

After lawmaker Ron Lam saw two of his debate proposals voted down at the Legislative Assembly (AL) late last week, the same thing happened to José Pereira Coutinho. His two debate propels were voted down by the plenary on Wednesday evening.

Pereira Coutinho had moved lawmakers to debate with the government over two matters. The first concerned the need to update the hardware of gaming concessionaires, as well as the need for concessionaires to hire more staff in light of increased customer demand, and increase employees’ wages. The second concerned Macau International Airport (MIA) and how the airport should better use its resources and improve its routes to attract more international visitors.

Both proposals were voted down by a majority of lawmakers, with the first proposal gathering 21 votes against and the second 25 votes against.

In response to the proposal related to the gaming concessionaires, several lawmakers spoke about their decision to vote against it, including Wu Chou Kit, Pang Chuan, Chui Sai Peng, and Ma Io Fong. Those lawmakers tied to the Macau Federation of Trade Unions mostly abstained from the vote.

Pro-gov’t lawmakers against interference

According to those who voted against it, the general feeling was that the debate proposal “directly interfered” in the affairs of private enterprises.

Lawmaker Wu noted that discussing such matters would be viewed as “excessive intervention” by the government on Macau’s market economy, stating that each company has its own rules and management styles and that government should not impose upon these.

Concurring with Wu’s response, Pang noted the government was only “the regulator of the economy” and should not interfere with decisions made by companies, particularly when those involve an aggravation of operation costs.

Siding with those who voted against the proposal, Chui invoked a different approach, saying that the matters it related to were ongoing and would be actioned when necessary.

Among those who abstained, lawmakers Leong Sun Iok and Ella Lei said that they had reservations on the matter. Leong Sun Iok observed that regardless of whether he agreed with the proposal’s content, he believed that it should have been communicated to the government rather than debated by lawmakers, as such a debate would not be productive.

Lei added that what Pereira Coutinho sought was ultimately “a duty of the concessionaires to their workers” and not a matter worthy of debate.”

Lam claims lawmakers lack statutory

knowledge

On the side of those voting in favor was Lam, who reaffirmed the impossibility of lawmakers bringing debates in the public interest to the AL.

Lam declared that according to his calculations, this was the 27th consecutive time that a debate proposal had been voted down by the plenary. The lawmaker openly accused his colleagues of lacking knowledge about the AL’s statutes and the duties of lawmakers, suggesting that they dedicate more time to upskilling and familiarizing themselves with the relevant laws and regulations.

Lam criticized those pro-government lawmakers for spending time debating and expressing opinions considering the debate proposal, when this is in fact what should have occurred during the very debate that they were obstructing.

Visibly upset, Lam also added that the government’s “excessive interference” in the economy should not be provided as an excuse. Lam stated, “We know that the government does interfere with the economy too much, either through specific policy actions or a lack thereof.”

Business strategy of MIA with gov’t

Even less interaction occurred in relation to the following proposal, which gathered an even higher number of votes against it.

Among the few lawmakers who stepped up to justify their votes were Iau Teng Pio and Cheung Kin Chung, both of whom were directly appointed by the Chief Executive, although Cheung has more professional involvement with the topic at hand.

Both lawmakers said they were refusing to debate matters related to the management and direction of MIA as it is a “subsidiary of the government,” meaning that it is exclusively the government’s prerogative to plan and direct measures to improve the airport.
Iau downplayed the role of the local airport structure, citing the facility’s “small size and capacity” and its lack of competitiveness when compared to other airports in neighboring cities and regions. He added, “To attract international visitors, we need to cooperate [instead of compete] with them.”