New Macau to hold Sunday meeting in support of Sou

Sulu Sou

New Macau Association is planning to hold a meeting on Sunday evening at the Rotunda de Carlos da Maia in order to express solidarity with lawmaker Sulu Sou who is currently facing the possibility of suspension over an incident during a demonstration last year.

Macau’s youngest lawmaker is facing the suspension after a case surfaced earlier this month dating back to a 2016 demonstration, where he is accused of walking on the road (instead of the sidewalk) without permission from authorities. He now stands accused of aggravated disobedience.

Sou, along with then-president of the association, Scott Chiang, were protesting a RMB100 million donation from the Macao Foundation to the mainland’s Jinan University.

He was originally scheduled to stand trial on November 28, but the First Instance Court decided to refer the case to the Legislative Assembly as it was unsure of whether to suspend the activist’s mandate.

Now Sou is awaiting a decision from a special commission of the Legislative Assembly about whether his lawmaker status – granting him prosecutorial immunity – should be revoked pending an outcome to the police investigation.

Organizers of Sunday’s meeting were keen to stress that it is not intended to impede or delay the judicial process against Sou, but rather show support for the lawmaker.

New Macau has denounced the investigation into Sou, claiming that it is politically motivated. They have also downplayed the seriousness of the accusation against him and argued that his role in the protest should not affect his duties as a directly elected lawmaker.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak denied that authorities were targeting Sou and said that there are 13 other cases dating from 2014 that are currently ongoing.

Sou’s victory in the September Legislative Assembly election saw him become the city’s youngest lawmaker and the body’s most vocal democrat. Prior to that he was a leader of the outspoken New Macau Association, and a principal organizer behind the large-scale 2014 ‘retirement scheme’ demonstration. DB