On the lawmakers’ agenda

Gov’t transparency Sio Chi Wai, Pereira Coutinho and Leong On Kei urged the authorities to improve the transparency of their work; including budgets, audits, purchases, and outsourced contracts. Following the latest reports of the Commission of Audit and the Commission Against Corruption, which reveal abuses on public tenders, the lawmakers consider the current related laws – which have been used for the past 30 years – to be unsuitable. They further urged civil servants to improve their disciplinary awareness, since they frequently claim to be unaware of the law when residents complain about public programs.

Transportation Ma Chi Seng and Song Pek Kei asked the government to solve both traffic and taxi issues. The lawmakers noted that the number of local vehicles has increased to 250,000, making the city’s traffic a headache for both citizens and the authorities. Nonetheless, the lawmakers suggested that the government give priority to buses by adding more buses, extending the working time of the drivers and setting up exclusive bus lanes. Last year, 5,079 penalties were issued to taxi drivers, double the verified occurrences in 2014. Meanwhile, lawmakers have agreed on the recent taxi regulation proposals, but expressed their understanding toward taxi drivers complaining about the difficulties of carrying passengers due to the limited taxi spots.

SMEs Chan Hong, Au Kam San and Ho Ion Sang appealed to the government to simplify the procedures of SME registration and to encourage entrepreneurial activities. For new registered businesses, finishing all paperwork could take at least two months, and in some cases more than a year. Applicants need to complete tasks that involve several departments, giving rise to complaints that registration departments are unreasonably picky or avoid responsibilities. The lawmakers have requested that the government reduce the number of sections involved and to clarify the obligations of each department. Nevertheless, the government has been offering MOP300,000 loans to new entrepreneurs, which many consider to be paltry.