New Macau leaders show divergences, president to be elected tomorrow

The New Macau Association (ANM) elected their new council and board of supervisors yesterday, but the new head of the association has yet to be elected.
According to lawmaker Au Kam San, member of the new council, the meeting yesterday was an assembly to select the 11-member council and three members of the board of supervisors. “The newly formed council will call on another internal election to decide who will be the council’s president,” he told the Times.
The new leadership will be effective for two years. About fifty members cast votes yesterday.
Jason Chao, the outgoing president, is not on the new council’s name list, but he said he is still a member of the association. He summarized his past two years as the president of the association:
“In the past two years, serving as the president of the association, I played in the role of transforming the association. In the past, the ANM would better be described as a supportive association of the lawmakers. Now the association plays a more important role in social activism and political engagement. I hope that the New Macau Association can remain progressive in their works in the two years ahead.”
Au Kam San previously commented on the overlapping roles of some ANM members who also participated in other associations. Au said it might confuse the public. In response, Chao said: “Macau residents have freedom of association. (…) You can talk about conflicts of interests or capacities in the case of profit businesses. But for NGOs, I think as long as we share the same goal and same views, we should not discriminate against members on the grounds of their capacity in other organizations.”
Neither did Chao agree that the overlapping roles of ANM members would confuse the public about the association leadership. He said Au and Ng are also leaders of another pro-democracy organization. “I don’t see that there is much conflict of interest or confusion about their capacities. But I think that the public now realize that people can speak in different capacities, and if you speak in that capacity, you represent that organization. I think it’s totally fine.”
Chao said yesterday that he supports Sulu So to be the next president. But he also stated two weeks ago, when asked if So is a suitable candidate, that So is “relatively new to the association” and “new to the political democratic movement in Macau.” Chao explained yesterday: “I am open to everything. (…) We should see people from a perspective of [acknowledging] their capabilities rather than their years with the association. I believe that Sulu So has the capability to exercise the duty as the president.”
Sulu So has been elected as a member of the new council. The election of NMA’s new president will take place tomorrow evening.